Carrying Capacity of Wetland Habitats Used by Breeding Greater Snow Geese

Massé, Hélène; Rochefort, Line; Gauthier, Gilles

doi:10.2307/3802906

Cited by 44 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…Geese are large herbivores in the terrestrial Arctic biome and can exert a substantial grazing pressure, especially in wet graminoid marshes (Massé et al 2001). In the early 1980s, we studied the ecology of moulting geese in Jameson Land, East Greenland as part of a biological baseline study before oil exploration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Madsen

Jaspers

Tamstorf

et al. 2011

AMBIO

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Greening of the Arctic due to climate warming may provide herbivores with richer food supplies, resulting in higher herbivore densities. In turn, this may cause changes in vegetation composition and ecosystem function. In 1982-1984, we studied the ecology of non-breeding moulting geese in Jameson Land, low Arctic East Greenland. By then, geese consumed most of the graminoid production in available moss fens, and it appeared that the geese had filled up the available habitat. In 2008, we revisited the area and found that the number of moulting geese and the temperature sum for June-July had tripled, while the above-ground biomass in a moss fen ungrazed by geese had more than doubled. In a goose-grazed fen, the overall plant composition was unchanged, but the frequency of graminoids had decreased and the area with dead vegetation and open spots had increased. We suggest that climate warming has lead to increased productivity, allowing for higher numbers of moulting geese. However, the reduction of vegetation cover by grazing may have longer term negative consequences for the number of geese the habitat can sustain.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Madsen

Jaspers

Tamstorf

et al. 2011

AMBIO

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“…Debido a ello, esta estimación se considera parte de la evaluación de un hábitat (Grant, 1978;Hobbs, Baker, Ellis, Swift, & Green, 1982). Además del valor nutritivo del alimento, es importante determinar su disponibilidad en el medio, para estimar la capacidad nutricional de carga (CNC) a corto plazo (Massé, Rochefort, & Gauthier, 2001). Para esto es necesario conocer la disponibilidad de la biomasa vegetal y sus nutrientes (materia seca, nitrógeno y energía), que puedan cubrir las necesidades de los individuos (Hobbs & Swift, 1985).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

“…ha -1 ) was estimated in each of the sites during the seasons of the year, in order to determine an indicator of habitat quality. The estimate was based on biomass availability and DM production by modifying the equation proposed by Massé et al (2001) (Cervantes & Martínez, 1996), which indicates the percentage use of grasslands by volcano rabbits in the habitat, in each season (90 days).…”

Section: Materiales Y Métodosmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, this estimate is considered part of a habitat assessment (Grant, 1978;Hobbs, Baker, Ellis, Swift, & Green, 1982). In addition to the nutritional value of the food, it is important to determine its availability in the environment in order to estimate short-term nutritional carrying capacity (NCC) (Massé, Rochefort, & Gauthier, 2001). This requires knowing the availability of plant biomass and its nutrients (dry matter, nitrogen and energy), which can cover the needs of the individuals (Hobbs & Swift, 1985).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COMPOSICIÓN DE LA DIETA Y CAPACIDAD NUTRICIONAL DE CARGA DEL HÁBITAT DEL CONEJO DE LOS VOLCANES (Romerolagus diazi) EN MÉXICO

Martínez-García

Mendoza

Alcántara-Carbajal

et al. 2012

Rev Cha Se Cie For y del Amb

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RESUMENEl estudio se realizó en el Parque Nacional Izta-Popo y Zoquiapan. Se estimaron los aportes nutricionales, biomasa vegetal, capacidad nutricional de carga del hábitat y hábitos alimenticios del Romerolagus diazi. Para ello, las excretas y muestras vegetales se recolectaron y fueron analizadas microhistológi-camente. Se determinaron la materia seca, proteína cruda y fibra detergente neutro de las plantas. A su vez, se realizó un ensayo de digestibilidad con conejos domésticos proporcionándoles dos tratamientos: Muhlenbergia macrura o Festuca tolucensis adicionadas con heno de alfalfa (80 % gramínea + 20 % de heno de alfalfa). En la mitad de los sitios predominó M. macroura y en la otra mitad F. tolucensis. El análisis microhistológico mostró la presencia predominante de los mismos forrajes. Hubo diferencias en biomasa y capacidad de carga entre sitios (P < 0.05). La inclusión de F. tolucensis incrementó (P < 0.05) la digestibilidad en comparación con M. macroura. ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to estimate the nutritional intake, plant biomass and the nutritional carrying capacity of the habitat of the volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi), plus its feeding habits, in Itza-Popo Zoquiapan National Park. Fecal pellets and plant samples were collected and analyzed microhistologically. Dry matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber were determined in plants. Biomass and its nutritional carrying capacity were estimated. In turn, a digestibility assay was conducted with domestic rabbits using two treatments: Muhlenbergia macrura or Festuca tolucensis (80 % plus 20 % alfalfa hay). In half of the sites M. macroura was predominant and in the other half F. tolucensis; microhistiological analysis showed the predominant presence of the same forages. There were differences in biomass and carrying capacity among sites (P < 0.05), with one site standing out from the others. Inclusion of F. tolucensis increased (P < 0.05) digestibility compared to M. macroura.

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“…Yet, this information is urgently needed as vegetation plays an important role in structuring Arctic ecosystems and regulating permafrost response to climate change (Jorgenson et al, 2010;Gauthier et al, 2011;Legagneux et al, 2012). Wetlands serve as preferred grounds for Arctic herbivores such as snow geese (Gauthier et al, 1996;Massé et al, 2001;Doiron et al, 2014). They are also expected to produce more methane compared to shrub-dominated areas (Olefeldt et al, 2013;Nauta et al, 2015;Treat et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermo-erosion gullies boost the transition from wet to mesic tundra vegetation

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Continuous permafrost zones with well-developed polygonal ice-wedge networks are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Thermo-mechanical erosion can initiate the development of gullies that lead to substantial drainage of adjacent wet habitats. How vegetation responds to this particular disturbance is currently unknown but has the potential to significantly disrupt function and structure of Arctic ecosystems. Focusing on three major gullies of Bylot Island, Nunavut, we estimated the impacts of thermoerosion processes on plant community changes. We explored over 2 years the influence of environmental factors on plant species richness, abundance and biomass in 62 low-centered wet polygons, 87 low-centered disturbed polygons and 48 mesic environment sites. Gullying decreased soil moisture by 40 % and thaw-front depth by 10 cm in the center of breached polygons within less than 5 years after the inception of ice wedge degradation, entailing a gradual yet marked vegetation shift from wet to mesic plant communities within 5 to 10 years. This transition was accompanied by a five times decrease in graminoid above-ground biomass. Soil moisture and thaw-front depth changed almost immediately following gullying initiation as they were of similar magnitude between older (> 5 years) and recently (< 5 years) disturbed polygons. In contrast, there was a lag-time in vegetation response to the altered physical environment with plant species richness and biomass differing between the two types of disturbed polygons. To date (10 years after disturbance), the stable state of the mesic environment cover has not been fully reached yet. Our results illustrate that wetlands are highly vulnerable to thermo-erosion processes, which drive landscape transformation on a relative short period of time for High Arctic perennial plant communities (5 to 10 years). Such succession towards mesic plant communities can have substantial consequences on the food availability for herbivores and carbon emissions of Arctic ecosystems.

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Carrying Capacity of Wetland Habitats Used by Breeding Greater Snow Geese

Cited by 44 publications

References 0 publications

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

Long-Term Effects of Grazing and Global Warming on the Composition and Carrying Capacity of Graminoid Marshes for Moulting Geese in East Greenland

COMPOSICIÓN DE LA DIETA Y CAPACIDAD NUTRICIONAL DE CARGA DEL HÁBITAT DEL CONEJO DE LOS VOLCANES (Romerolagus diazi) EN MÉXICO

Thermo-erosion gullies boost the transition from wet to mesic tundra vegetation

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