Abstract
Vegetation establishment proceeded rapidly on islands in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana, following subaerial exposure in 1973. By 1980, 11 km2 of land were vegetated, with four primary plant associations dominating the plant assemblage:Sagittarial latifolia on intertidal elevations,Salix nigra on higher elevations at the heads of islands,Typha latifolia at elevations between theS. nigra and theS. latifolia, and a transitional community at intermediate elevations composed of the above plants withCyperus difformis,Eleocharis spp.,Ammania coccinea, andSphenoclea zeylandica. Colonization by the furbearers nutria (Myocastor coypus) and muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) has also been rapid on the islands. A preliminary exclosure study over a two-year period (1980–81) documented significantly higher plant biomass forS. latifolia andA. coccinea within exclosed plots than in control plots, and there was some indication that plant species composition was affected by herbivory. Long-term exclosure studies and concurrent population studies of herbivores are recommended.
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Fuller, D.A., Sasser, C.E., Johnson, W.B. et al. The effects of herbivory on vegetation on islands in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana. Wetlands 4, 105–114 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160490
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160490