The effects of protection from moose browsing on the vegetation and litter production on Isle Royale boreal forests
Mcinnes PF, Pastor J, Naiman RJ, Cohen Y. 1988. The effects of protection from moose browsing on the vegetation and litter production on Isle Royale boreal forests. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 69(2; Abstracts):228
Moose (Alces alces) have been excluded for 40 years from four 101 m2 plots on Isle Royale. Comparisons of the plant communities and litterfall quantity and composition were made between these exclosures and adjacent browsed plots. Tree basal area was greater in the exclosures than in the browsed plots. The percent spruce basal area was smaller and percent browsed species greater in all exclosures when compared with adjacent plots. Tree species with large basal area in the plots contributed more litter than those with smaller basal area. Diversity profiles for trees indicated that high browsing pressure resulted in lower diversity of trees, whereas intermediate browsing pressure did not affect diversity. Heavy moose browsing resulted in a decrease in tree basal area and an increase in percent spruce, which in turn -through litterfall-- resulted in an decrease in microbial biomass and N availability. Therefore, intervals of heavy browsing by moose may alter the plant community for extended periods as a result of vegetation-soil interactions.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Mcinnes, Pamela; Pastor, John; Naiman, R; Cohen, Yosef
- Units
- ISRO
- Keywords
- Boreal Forest, Browsing, Ecology, Herbivory, moose(Alces alces), Plant Studies, Productivity