|
Larter and Nagy. 2003. Upland Barren Habitat of Southern Banks Island
Excluded from Grazing by Large Herbibores for Five Years: Effects on
Aboveground Standing Crop. 19 pp.
ABSTRACT
Grazing
exclosures of approximately 1.25m2 were erected in upland
barren habitat on southern Banks Island in mid-June, 1993, at the start of
the growing season.
Exclosures (n=10) were established in habitat patches located in
areas of high (1.6-1.9 muskox/km2) and low (0.3-0.4 muskox/km2)
muskoxen density.
Exclosure integrity was monitored annually.
In mid-July 1997, at the peak of the growing season, we removed the
exclosures and clipped the aboveground standing crop of forages in each
exclosure.
Concurrently, we clipped the aboveground standing crop of forages
in one 0.125m2 plot adjacent to each exclosure.
We determined the aboveground standing crop (dry weight) of forage
inside and adjacent to exclosures and the proportion of 8 different forage
types that made up the aboveground standing crop.
Because there were no site effects, data were pooled.
Median total aboveground standing crop and mean proportions of the
8 forage types were similar regardless of exposure to grazing.
Although making up relatively small proportions of the total
aboveground standing crop, median aboveground standing crop of grass (live
and dead material) and other forbs was greater (P#0.02)
in areas excluded from grazing.
|
