Authors:
Handa, I.T. and R.L. Jefferies
Publication Date:
2000
Abstract/Summary:
At coastal sites adjacent to the Hudson Bay lowlands, intensive foraging by increasing numbers of lesser snow geese Anser caerulescens caerulescens has converted salt-marsh awards to hypersaline mudflats largely devoid of vegetation. Assisted revegetation trials were undertaken in order to determine the ability of plants to establish in degraded salt-marsh sediment Growth rate and mortality of plants both varied between sites and years, reflecting variation in the frequency of hot, dry weather from late June to early August of each year, and the salinity and water content of soils during that period. The potential for revegetation of mudflats is discussed in the context of the soil degradation processes. Fine-grain variation in soil conditions presents a major challenge for the restoration of plant assemblages in these coastal marshes.
Resource Type:
Peer-reviewed Article
Source:
Journal of Applied Ecology