Influence of goose grazing on plant availability of nutrients
Nutrient availability is a primary limiting factor of biotic functioning in Arctic environments. We hypothesized that geese, whose numbers have increased dramatically, impact on the plant availability of nutrients. The moss layer was thought to play a key role herein. To test for these hypotheses we...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Antwerp
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11370/ab2ecbc8-fb52-4e64-aa16-345d8067f8d8 https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/ab2ecbc8-fb52-4e64-aa16-345d8067f8d8 https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/16296114/LiseFivezPhDpaper4.pdf |
| Summary: | Nutrient availability is a primary limiting factor of biotic functioning in Arctic environments. We hypothesized that geese, whose numbers have increased dramatically, impact on the plant availability of nutrients. The moss layer was thought to play a key role herein. To test for these hypotheses we measured plant availability of macro- and micronutrients over the winter and growing season and moss depth in a goose exclosure experiment. Our results show that important nutrients were significantly influenced by goose grazing. For some elements this could be partially explained by the grazing impact on the moss layer. During the winter season nutrient availability was remarkably high and was influenced by geese, urging the need for more ecological research during this period. |
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