Assessing the impact of goose grazing on vegetation in the Arctic
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Authors: R. L. Jefferies
Date: 1988
Journal: IBIS-The International Journal of Avian Science
Volume: 130
Number: 301-302
Pages: 301-302
Summary of Methods: A series of studies carried out on the coast of Hudson Bay, Canada, examining the grazing by Lesser Snow Geese (Anser caerulescens) have revealed some important considerations that should be taken into account when measuring net above-ground primary production (NAPP) of plant species grazed by geese in the arctic and sub-arctic. The process of goose grazing is more complex than the mechanical removal of vegetation. NAPP estimates of grazed vegetation must take the effects of nutrient input from goose droppings into account as well as the shortcomings of traditional exclosure methods. The latter does not account for the dynamic process of leaf turnover, which is rapid in Carex subspathacea, a major forage species for geese in the arctic.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Scientific Synthesis
Keywords: lesser snow geese, anser caerulescens caerulescens, net above-ground primary production (napp), grazing, arctic vegetation, carex subspathacea
Annotation: Grazing intensity is not specified.
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