Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies
Abstract: Recreational activities in alpine areas have been increasing in recent decades, creating the need to improve our understanding of the impacts of these activities and how they are best managed. We explored impacts of recreational trail use on dry alpine meadows in the northern Canadian Rock...
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:10670/1.mkwdxa 2023-05-15T18:40:03+02:00 Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies MacDonald, S. E. Crisfield, V. Gould, J. 2012-01-01 https://doi.org/10.7939/R30G2F https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/c3262c49-f195-4eaa-a8c0-78781d62de13 en eng doi:10.7939/R30G2F 10670/1.mkwdxa https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/c3262c49-f195-4eaa-a8c0-78781d62de13 other ERA : Education and Research Archive envir geo Other https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_1843/ 2012 fttriple https://doi.org/10.7939/R30G2F 2023-01-22T17:07:09Z Abstract: Recreational activities in alpine areas have been increasing in recent decades, creating the need to improve our understanding of the impacts of these activities and how they are best managed. We explored impacts of recreational trail use on dry alpine meadows in the northern Canadian Rockies of Alberta. Data collected in 142 plots (0.5 m X I m) were used to compare plant community metrics among (1) a recreational trail, (2) intact tundra meadows (undisturbed), and (3) sparsely vegetated gravel steps formed by frost disturbance (naturally disturbed). As compared to undisturbed tundra, trails had substantially lower cover of vascular plants (4% vs. 35%), lichen (0% vs. 10%), and cryptogamic crust (0% vs. 4%); trails also had lower species richness (7 vs. 11 species per plot), but greater soil compaction (2.75 vs. 1.25 kg cm(-2)). Trails differed from natural gravel steps, which had three times more biotic cover and different composition. This highlights the difference in effects of human and natural disturbance. Positive feedback effects of trampling in tundra ecosystems may lead to altered environmental conditions, including decreased infiltration capacity and nutrient cycles in soils, and more extreme temperatures at the soil surface. These feedbacks could inhibit regeneration of abandoned trails. Other/Unknown Material Tundra Unknown |
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envir geo MacDonald, S. E. Crisfield, V. Gould, J. Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies |
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envir geo |
description |
Abstract: Recreational activities in alpine areas have been increasing in recent decades, creating the need to improve our understanding of the impacts of these activities and how they are best managed. We explored impacts of recreational trail use on dry alpine meadows in the northern Canadian Rockies of Alberta. Data collected in 142 plots (0.5 m X I m) were used to compare plant community metrics among (1) a recreational trail, (2) intact tundra meadows (undisturbed), and (3) sparsely vegetated gravel steps formed by frost disturbance (naturally disturbed). As compared to undisturbed tundra, trails had substantially lower cover of vascular plants (4% vs. 35%), lichen (0% vs. 10%), and cryptogamic crust (0% vs. 4%); trails also had lower species richness (7 vs. 11 species per plot), but greater soil compaction (2.75 vs. 1.25 kg cm(-2)). Trails differed from natural gravel steps, which had three times more biotic cover and different composition. This highlights the difference in effects of human and natural disturbance. Positive feedback effects of trampling in tundra ecosystems may lead to altered environmental conditions, including decreased infiltration capacity and nutrient cycles in soils, and more extreme temperatures at the soil surface. These feedbacks could inhibit regeneration of abandoned trails. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
MacDonald, S. E. Crisfield, V. Gould, J. |
author_facet |
MacDonald, S. E. Crisfield, V. Gould, J. |
author_sort |
MacDonald, S. E. |
title |
Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies |
title_short |
Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies |
title_full |
Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies |
title_fullStr |
Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern Canadian Rockies |
title_sort |
effects of recreational traffic on alpine plant communities in the northern canadian rockies |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7939/R30G2F https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/c3262c49-f195-4eaa-a8c0-78781d62de13 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_source |
ERA : Education and Research Archive |
op_relation |
doi:10.7939/R30G2F 10670/1.mkwdxa https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/c3262c49-f195-4eaa-a8c0-78781d62de13 |
op_rights |
other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7939/R30G2F |
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1766229185858109440 |