Management of Shallow Impoundments to Provide Emergent and Submergent Vegetation for Waterfowl.
Abstract
Species composition, percent cover (PC), and aboveground biomass (AUB) revealed that partial drawdowns on LAERF ponds produce a typical zonation of wetland plants. Taxon richness of emergent plants was highest in the dewatered zones. Soil disturbance with rototilling created diversity in ponds by increasing taxon richness of emergent plants, encouraging annuals, and discouraging perenhial plant growth. Most submergent macrophytes were unaffected by tilling. Drawdown season did not affect taxon richness of emergent plants within dewatered zones, but forb and sedge PC and AGB and grass AOB were highest during spring drawdown. Moist-soil management is a strategy of food production involving dewatering lowlands during the germination and growing season, followed by winter reflooding to allow waterfowl access to food produced in the area. Most moist-soil research has been conducted in the Upper Midwest, and little is known or published about the effectiveness of this technique in the southcentral United States where the growing season is long, the climate is warmer, and southern plant assemblages are involved.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA302092
Entities
People
- K. C. Jensen
- Len G. Polasek
- Milton W. Weller