Did you know that Arctic foxes are ecosystem engineers? A fascinating research project was published in 2016 demonstrating how effective they are at growing gardens around their dens. They may not set out with the intention of having wildflowers and vegetation marking the spot of their homes, but it’s a beautiful development of Nature’s cycle. The tundra maintains minimal and very low-lying vegetation, so you can visibly spot Arctic fox dens by the lushness of the vegetation surrounding them.
The researchers tested the soil throughout the seasons and found that the effects of a fox den increased the nutrients in the soil drastically. In June, extractable phosphorus – a major plant nutrient – was found to be nearly 1200% greater around dens. The natural garden growing is due to the defecation, the remains of foxes’ meals, and urination around the den (Gharajehdaghipour, 2016). The extra fauna helps attract herbivores, like the foxes’ main food source, the lemming.