Abstract
Since human settlement, wetland ecosystems in New Zealand have been severely modified by fire and reduced by drainage for agricultural development. Those remaining are problematic to manage, with modified water regimes, invasive weeds and grazing by livestock. Before settlement, wetland habitats supported diverse avian herbivores, the majority of which are now extinct. However, introduced birds are increasing in wetlands. We sought to understand the role of grazing birds in the maintenance of local turf communities in a lacustrine environment in Otago, New Zealand. To determine the causes of the vegetation patterns, we investigated the influence of abiotic (water table and soil nutrients) and biotic (direct via grazing and indirect via faeces deposition) effects of the birds on the vegetation. Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex species. The occurrence of the communities was correlated with the distance from the nearest permanent water, soil phosphorus levels, and amount of faecal deposition. The results indicate that avian grazing decreased the proportion of dominant exotic plant species by biomass removal, but not through enhanced nutrient inputs via faecal deposition. Results from this site suggest that naturalised geese facilitate the maintenance of indigenous plant species in the face of exotic invasion, and have a conservation role in highly modified wetland systems, perhaps restoring a herbivore function lost with the extinction of native avian grazers. The long-term conservation management of wetlands in New Zealand may require the utilisation of both native and introduced avian grazers to facilitate the dominance of indigenous plants.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex.
- Taxon
- Leptinella
Leptinellae0 - Outcome
- two dominated by Leptinellae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex species”
Claim · model-written summary
Two of four distinguished plant communities were dominated by Carex.
- Outcome
- two by Carex speciese0
CarexOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex species”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant community occurrence correlated with distance to permanent water.
- Taxon
- LeptinellaLeptinellae1
- Outcome
- occurrence of the communitiese0
- Setting
- distance from the nearest permanent watere0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The occurrence of the communities was correlated with the distance from the nearest permanent water, soil phosphorus levels, and amount of faecal deposition”
e1“Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex species”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant community occurrence correlated with soil phosphorus levels.
- Taxon
- LeptinellaLeptinellae1
- Outcome
- occurrence of the communitiese0
- Setting
- soil phosphorus levelse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The occurrence of the communities was correlated with the distance from the nearest permanent water, soil phosphorus levels, and amount of faecal deposition”
e1“Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex species”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant community occurrence correlated with faecal deposition.
- Taxon
- LeptinellaLeptinellae1
- Outcome
- occurrence of the communitiese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The occurrence of the communities was correlated with the distance from the nearest permanent water, soil phosphorus levels, and amount of faecal deposition”
e1“Four plant communities were distinguished, two dominated by Leptinella and two by Carex species”
e2“effects of the birds on the vegetation”
Claim · model-written summary
Avian grazing decreased the biomass proportion of dominant exotic plants.
- Taxon
- exotic plant speciese0
- Treatment
- avian grazinge0
- Outcome
- proportion of dominant exotic plant speciese0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“avian grazing decreased the proportion of dominant exotic plant species by biomass removal”
e1“grazing birds in the maintenance of local turf communities”
Claim · model-written summary
Faecal nutrient input did not account for the decrease in dominant exotic plants.
Verbatim
e0“but not through enhanced nutrient inputs via faecal deposition”
e1“avian grazing decreased the proportion of dominant exotic plant species by biomass removal, but not through enhanced nutrient inputs via faecal deposition”
Claim · model-written summary
Naturalised geese appear to facilitate maintenance of indigenous plants amid exotic invasion.
Verbatim
e0“naturalised geese facilitate the maintenance of indigenous plant species in the face of exotic invasion”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest using native and introduced avian grazers to maintain dominance of indigenous plants in New Zealand wetlands.
Verbatim
e0“The long-term conservation management of wetlands in New Zealand may require the utilisation of both native and introduced avian grazers to facilitate the dominance of indigenous plants”