Effects of Moose Browsing on Vegetation and Litter of the Boreal Forest, Isle Royale, Michigan, USA
Mcinnes P, Naiman RJ, Pastor J, Cohen Y. 1992. Effects of Moose Browsing on Vegetation and Litter of the Boreal Forest, Isle Royale, Michigan, USA. Ecology. 73(6):2059-2075
Plant community composition can be altered as animals feed on some species but not on others, changing the biomass, production, and nutrient cycling of an entire ecosystem. Four paired moose exclosures and browsed plots on Isle Royale were used to examine the influence of moose on aboveground biomass, production and annual litterfall of boreal vegetation. Moose browsing prevented saplings of preferred species from growing into the tree canopy resulting in a forest with fewer canopy trees and a well-developed understory of shrubs and herbs. Browsing may have altered the balance of white spruce and balsam fir. Browsing by moose influences the long-term structure and dynamics of the boreal forest ecosystem.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Mcinnes, Pamela; Naiman, Robert; Pastor, John; Cohen, Yosef
- Units
- ISRO
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, balsam fir (Abies balsamea), Biomass, Boreal Forest, Browsing, Ecosystem, Herbivore, Herbivory, Isle Royale National Park, Mammals, Michigan, Moose (Alces alces), Plant Studies, Ungulate, Vegetation, White spruce (Picea glauca)