Role of ice scouring and goose grubbing in marsh plant dynamics
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Authors: L. Belanger, and J. Bedard
Date: 1994
Journal: Journal of Ecology
Volume: 82
Number: 3
Pages: 437-445
Summary of Methods: The effects of disturbances caused by greater snow goose (Chen caerulescens atlantica) grubbing, ice scouring, and the combination of the two were examined on a tidal marsh (47� 00�N ; 70� 35� W) 70 km west of Quebec City along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River. The marsh is coved in ice from December to March and scouring occurs during spring break up. Greater snow goose grazing occurs during the 5-7 week spring and fall migratory stopovers. Permanent plots were located in four major vegetation types with half of the plots fenced to exclude greater snow geese use. Fencing was erected each spring before arrival of the geese and removed each fall. Disturbance from ice scouring was measured after spring breakup each year and vegetation measurements were taken in late August.
Article Summary / Main Points: Goose grubbing had no significant effect on the annual dynamics of ice-made depressions. Within plots excluded from geese use ice drift had little influence on species abundance and net above-ground primary production of the marsh except at high levels of disturbance. In ice-made depressions, goose grazing reduced net primary production by approximately 45% and facilitated colonization of competitive species. By exploiting ice-made depressions, snow geese contribute to an increase in the heterogeneity but a decrease in the primary production of the Scirpus marsh.
Vegetation Types: Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: Not Applicable
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: disturbance, grazing, grubbing, ice drift, plant dynamics, primary production, scirpus marsh, st. lawrence estuary, quebec
Annotation: The results of this study has limited or no applicability to grazing on western rangelands.
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