| Patuxent Science Meeting 2006 Poster Abstract |
| | Herbivory by resident geese: the loss and recovery of wild rice along |
| | the tidal Patuxent River |
| | Haramis GM, Kearns G (MD NCPPC) |
| | Well known for a fall spectacle of maturing wild rice (Zizania aquatica) and migrant waterbirds, |
| | the tidal freshwater marshes of the Patuxent River, Maryland, experienced a major decline of |
| | wild rice during the decade of the 1990s. Experiments conducted in 1999 and 2000 with fenced |
| | exclosures revealed herbivory by resident Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Grazing by |
| | geese eliminated rice outside exclosures, while protected plants achieved greater size, higher |
| | density, and produced more panicles than rice occurring in natural stands. This widespread |
| | loss of rice reflects both the sensitivity of this annual plant to herbivory and the destructive |
| | nature of an overabundance of resident geese on natural marsh vegetaqtion. Restoration of rice |
| | followed two management actions: hunting removal of ca. 1,700 geese during a 4-year period |
| | and re-establishment of rice through a large scale fencing and planting program. |
| | Friday, September 22, 2006 |