Patterns of natural revegetation on abandoned gravel pads in arctic Alaska
Bishop SC and Chapin FS. 1989. Patterns of natural revegetation on abandoned gravel pads in arctic Alaska. Journal of Applied Ecology. 26(3):1073-1081
(1) Eight years after abandonment, mean total cover of native vascular plants on gravel pads in arctic Alaska was 2.7%, and mean number of species per site was 4.6. (2) Five of the nine most important colonizing species were legumes; all nine were species commonly associated with riparian gravel bars. (3) Distance from riparian seed sources explained 25% of the variance in cover of native species and 35% of the variance in species richness. Legumes were more restricted to sites near seed sources than were non-legumes. (4) The low cover and diversity of native plants on abandoned gravel pads were attributed to a combination of dispersal limitation, lack of water for germination, and slow growth due to limited availability of mineral nutrients.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bishop, Susan; Chapin, F
- Units
- ARCN , BELA , CAKR , GAAR , KOVA , NOAT
- Keywords
- Arctic, Disturbance, fill, Habitats, Natural, Revegetation