Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada

Globally, consumers affect ecosystem processes including nutrient dynamics. Herbivores have been known to slow nutrient flow in boreal forest ecosystems. I examined the effects of introduced moose on disturbed forests of Newfoundland, Canada by conducting a field experiment during August - November...

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Main Author: Ellis, Nichola
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/
https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/1/thesis.pdf
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spelling ftmemorialuniv:oai:research.library.mun.ca:11935 2023-10-01T03:49:57+02:00 Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada Ellis, Nichola 2016-01 application/pdf https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/ https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/1/thesis.pdf en eng Memorial University of Newfoundland https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/1/thesis.pdf Ellis, Nichola <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ellis=3ANichola=3A=3A.html> (2016) Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland. thesis_license Thesis NonPeerReviewed 2016 ftmemorialuniv 2023-09-03T06:48:31Z Globally, consumers affect ecosystem processes including nutrient dynamics. Herbivores have been known to slow nutrient flow in boreal forest ecosystems. I examined the effects of introduced moose on disturbed forests of Newfoundland, Canada by conducting a field experiment during August - November 2014 in 20 paired moose exclosure-control plots. I tested whether moose browsing directly and indirectly affected forests by measuring plant species composition, litter quality and quantity, soil quality, and decomposition rates in areas moose exclosure-control plots. I analyzed moose effects using linear mixed effects models and found evidence indicating that moose reduce plant height and litter biomass affecting the availability of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. However, plant diversity, soil quality, and litter decomposition did not differ between moose exclosures and controls. Moose in Newfoundland directly influence plant regeneration and litter biomass while indirect effects on soil ecosystems may be limited by time, disturbance, and climate. Thesis Alces alces Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository Canada
institution Open Polar
collection Memorial University of Newfoundland: Research Repository
op_collection_id ftmemorialuniv
language English
description Globally, consumers affect ecosystem processes including nutrient dynamics. Herbivores have been known to slow nutrient flow in boreal forest ecosystems. I examined the effects of introduced moose on disturbed forests of Newfoundland, Canada by conducting a field experiment during August - November 2014 in 20 paired moose exclosure-control plots. I tested whether moose browsing directly and indirectly affected forests by measuring plant species composition, litter quality and quantity, soil quality, and decomposition rates in areas moose exclosure-control plots. I analyzed moose effects using linear mixed effects models and found evidence indicating that moose reduce plant height and litter biomass affecting the availability of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. However, plant diversity, soil quality, and litter decomposition did not differ between moose exclosures and controls. Moose in Newfoundland directly influence plant regeneration and litter biomass while indirect effects on soil ecosystems may be limited by time, disturbance, and climate.
format Thesis
author Ellis, Nichola
spellingShingle Ellis, Nichola
Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada
author_facet Ellis, Nichola
author_sort Ellis, Nichola
title Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada
title_short Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada
title_full Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada
title_fullStr Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada
title_full_unstemmed Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada
title_sort effects of introduced moose (alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in newfoundland, canada
publisher Memorial University of Newfoundland
publishDate 2016
url https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/
https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/1/thesis.pdf
geographic Canada
geographic_facet Canada
genre Alces alces
Newfoundland
genre_facet Alces alces
Newfoundland
op_relation https://research.library.mun.ca/11935/1/thesis.pdf
Ellis, Nichola <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ellis=3ANichola=3A=3A.html> (2016) Effects of introduced moose (Alces alces) on vegetation composition, nutrient dynamics, and decomposition rates in boreal forest ecosystems in Newfoundland, Canada. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
op_rights thesis_license
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