Germination Ecology of a Maryland Population of Saltmarsh Bulrush (Scirpus robustus)

Dietert, Margaret F.; Shontz, John P.

doi:10.2307/1351458

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionaily, seed germination falls rapidly in response to increasing salinity and osmotic stress (Paimisano 1971, Drifmeyer andZieman 1979). Dietert and Shontz (1978) have indicated that the seeds wili not germinate at all when subjected to continual inundation. Visual observations by this author on a second S. alterniflora marsh located north of the Bodie Isiand study site, reveaied that 5. robustus invaded rapidly after grazing by geese and is now the dominant species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alteration of salt marsh plant community composition by grazing snow geese

Smith

1983

Ecography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A notable omission from wetlands ecology has been the study of the influence of herbivores on vegetation. Reported here are the effects of grazing by snow geese Anser caerulescens altantica on the vegetation of salt marshes along the mid‐Atlantic coast of the United States, Exclosures were used to compare total and species percent cover between grazed and ungrazed areas in three marshes (Salt Flats, South Pond, and Bodie Island) with differing vegetation communities from 1978 to 1980. Spartina alterniflora was reduced by ⅔ in grazed versus ungrazed areas of Salt Flats, S. S. patens was reduced by ½ in grazed portions of South Pond but recovered when grazing ceased. In grazed portions of Bodie Island total plant cover was reduced by 16%. Scirpus robustus and S. patens reacted in opposite ways to grazing pressure with S. robustus increasing and S. patens decreasing, Elocharis was found only in grazed areas of Bodie Island. Echinochloa crusgali appeared in grazed portions of this marsh in 1978 but decreased in abundance during subsequent years. Scirpus americanus was unaffected by grazing, maintaining a nearly constant percent cover in grazed and ungrazed areas at Bodie Island. Differences in responses to grazing are discussed in terms of each species' growth and reproductive strategies as tempered by the physical and biological environment within each marsh.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alteration of salt marsh plant community composition by grazing snow geese

Smith

1983

Ecography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The samples were exposed at a photoperiod of 16 h of light and 8 h of dark in the greenhouse at the Environmental Research Centre of Satakunta. The temperature was programmed for 20 °C by day and 15 °C by night to mimic the conditions in the field and because many plants require fluctuating temperatures (Thompson et al 1977;Dietert & Shontz 1978;van Tooren & Pons 1988). Samples were watered once or twice a day depending on the ambient temperature.…”

Section: Treatment Of Seed Bank Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed banks of grazed and ungrazed Baltic seashore meadows

Jutila

1998

J Vegetation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The seed banks of three grazed and three ungrazed seashore meadows were studied on the west coast of Finland. 8486 seedlings (mean 13 669 seedlings/m2) germinated from cold‐treated samples (n = 343; depth = 10 cm). Most seedlings and species were monocots and perennials. The seed bank flora included 54 dicots vs. 28 monocots and 66 perennials vs. 16 annuals. The most abundant species were Juncus gerardii, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Eleocharis uniglumis, Agrostis stolonifera, Juncus bufonius and Carex nigra, which made up 73% of the seed bank. Numbers of species and seedlings differed between elevation classes. Species richness was highest in elevation class 50–70 cm. The highest seed density occurred in class 20–50 cm. A model for size and species composition of the seed bank in relation to elevation is presented. The seed bank was larger and richer in species in the ungrazed than in the grazed sites, but not so in the upper elevations and closest to the open sea. Grazing reduced the size of the seed bank of Agrostis stolonifera, A. capillaris, Calamagrostis stricta, Elymus repens, Juncus bufonius, Limosella aquatica and Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, but increased that of J. gerardii. 32 species germinated only from ungrazed samples and 11 species only from grazed ones. Multivariate classification resulted in nine sample groups. The ordination scatter was best explained by the flooding stress variables, elevation, the distance from the water line and the number of helophyte species in samples. 75 species were found both in the seed bank and in the vegetation, but there was a significant lack of resemblance (in the Mantel test) due to over‐representation of some species. Eight species occurring only in the seed bank were mainly annuals or biennials (63%); those occurring only in the established vegetation (86 species) were mainly perennials (86%).

show abstract

“…The dominant plant at Bodie Island, Scirpus robustus, is unlike S. alterniflora, S. patens or D. spicata in that it produces a large number of seeds which have a very high germination rate (Palmisano 1971, Dietert andShontz 1978). This species is capable of reproducing both vegetatively and sexually.…”

Section: Changes In Percent Cover and Recovery Of Aboveground Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Grazing by Snow Geese on Coastal Salt Marshes

Smith¹,

Odum²

1981

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The influence of grazing by the Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens subspecies atlantica) was studied in three distinctly different North Carolina salt marshes. One marsh was dominated by Spartina alterniflora, one by a mixture of Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata, and one by Scirpus robustus. Snow Goose grazing consists principally of removal of roots and rhizomes to a depth of 20—25 cm. Exclosures were utilized to compare (1) belowground biomass and net production, (2) aerial plant cover and (3) detritus availability between grazed and ungrazed plots. Ungrazed portions of all study had significantly more biomass (P <.001) than grazed areas in the year following grazing. Belowground net production was less in the grazed portions of two of the sites (P < .10). Grazing intensity, measured as percent biomass removed, was 58.1 ± 7.4% at all sites. Plant cover was reduced at all sites in the spring following grazing. The Scirpus robutus marsh recovered more rapidly than the other marshes and appears to be a more stable grazing system. Finally, at South Pond and Salt Flats, more uprooted root—rhizome material was found in grazed areas than in ungrazed (P < .001, P < .05 respectively). This strongly suggests that Snow Geese make belowground net production available for transport to nearby estuarine waters where it could be used by estuarine consumers.

show abstract

Germination Ecology of a Maryland Population of Saltmarsh Bulrush (Scirpus robustus)

Cited by 23 publications

References 8 publications

Alteration of salt marsh plant community composition by grazing snow geese

Alteration of salt marsh plant community composition by grazing snow geese

Seed banks of grazed and ungrazed Baltic seashore meadows

The Effects of Grazing by Snow Geese on Coastal Salt Marshes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About