Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey

ABSTRACT Tidal freshwater marshes of the Maurice River, New Jersey, USA, have been long renowned for robust stands of wild rice (Zizania aquatica). During the 1990s, these marshes experienced an apparent decline in wild rice. During 2000–2002, I used paired fenced exclosures and open control plots t...

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Main Author: Theodore C. Nichols
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-06-01
Series:Wildlife Society Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.431
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author Theodore C. Nichols
author_facet Theodore C. Nichols
author_sort Theodore C. Nichols
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Tidal freshwater marshes of the Maurice River, New Jersey, USA, have been long renowned for robust stands of wild rice (Zizania aquatica). During the 1990s, these marshes experienced an apparent decline in wild rice. During 2000–2002, I used paired fenced exclosures and open control plots to measure herbivory by the Atlantic Flyway Resident Population of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on wild rice and response of rice to an integrated damage management program (IDMP). The IDMP consisted of rendering goose nests unhatchable, shooting, and culling molting geese. The IDMP reduced the number of goslings by 60% during the first year and essentially eliminated recruitment during the second year. Prior to the IDMP, grazing by geese reduced the density of rice by 78% and the height of plants surviving grazing by 17%. With implementation of an IDMP, rice density between exclosures and control plots did not differ. Wetland managers should consider the grazing impacts that resident population Canada geese can incur on native plant communities and develop a plan for mitigating that damage. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.
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spelling doaj-art-0c79869409014b75bc71451d8f298bab2024-12-16T12:16:33ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402014-06-0138222923610.1002/wsb.431Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New JerseyTheodore C. Nichols0New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife2201 County Route 631WoodbineNJ08270USAABSTRACT Tidal freshwater marshes of the Maurice River, New Jersey, USA, have been long renowned for robust stands of wild rice (Zizania aquatica). During the 1990s, these marshes experienced an apparent decline in wild rice. During 2000–2002, I used paired fenced exclosures and open control plots to measure herbivory by the Atlantic Flyway Resident Population of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on wild rice and response of rice to an integrated damage management program (IDMP). The IDMP consisted of rendering goose nests unhatchable, shooting, and culling molting geese. The IDMP reduced the number of goslings by 60% during the first year and essentially eliminated recruitment during the second year. Prior to the IDMP, grazing by geese reduced the density of rice by 78% and the height of plants surviving grazing by 17%. With implementation of an IDMP, rice density between exclosures and control plots did not differ. Wetland managers should consider the grazing impacts that resident population Canada geese can incur on native plant communities and develop a plan for mitigating that damage. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.431Branta canadensisCanada geeseherbivoryintegrated damage management programNew Jerseywild rice
spellingShingle Theodore C. Nichols
Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey
Wildlife Society Bulletin
Branta canadensis
Canada geese
herbivory
integrated damage management program
New Jersey
wild rice
title Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey
title_full Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey
title_fullStr Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey
title_full_unstemmed Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey
title_short Integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident Canada geese in New Jersey
title_sort integrated damage management reduces grazing of wild rice by resident canada geese in new jersey
topic Branta canadensis
Canada geese
herbivory
integrated damage management program
New Jersey
wild rice
url https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.431
work_keys_str_mv AT theodorecnichols integrateddamagemanagementreducesgrazingofwildricebyresidentcanadageeseinnewjersey