Moist-soil Managed Wetlands and Their Associated Vegetative, Aquatic Invertebrate, and Waterfowl Communities in East-central Texas

Download or read book Moist-soil Managed Wetlands and Their Associated Vegetative, Aquatic Invertebrate, and Waterfowl Communities in East-central Texas written by Daniel P. Collins (III.) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 1156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moist-soil management in the southeastern U.S. is used to stimulate growth of waterfowl food (i.e., aquatic invertebrates and seeds), however, little experimental work has been published on the effectiveness of moist-soil management in the south-central United States where the growing seasons are longer, climate warmer, and plant assemblages more complex. During April 2004-May 2008 I, (1) investigated moist-soil managed wetland seed bank dynamics, (2) calculated seed yield, (3) estimated plant decomposition rates, (4) measured and calculated aquatic invertebrate diversity, richness, abundance, and biomass, (5) estimated body condition, food item occurrence, and feather molt chronology for blue-winged teal (Anas discors), green-winged teal (A. crecca ), and Northern shoveler (A. clypeata), (8) calculated Duck-Use Days, and (9) quantified seasonal vegetative community structure and development on Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area. Moist-soil management in the southeastern U.S. is used to stimulate growth of waterfowl food (i.e., aquatic invertebrates and seeds), however, little experimental work has been published on the effectiveness of moist-soil management in the south-central United States where the growing seasons are longer, climate warmer, and plant assemblages more complex. During April 2004-May 2008 I, (1) investigated moist-soil managed wetland seed bank dynamics, (2) calculated seed yield, (3) estimated plant decomposition rates, (4) measured and calculated aquatic invertebrate diversity, richness, abundance, and biomass, (5) estimated body condition, food item occurrence, and feather molt chronology for blue-winged teal (Anas discors), green-winged teal (A. crecca ), and Northern shoveler (A. clypeata), (8) calculated Duck-Use Days, and (9) quantified seasonal vegetative community structure and development on Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area. ... This research generated important landscape as well as moist-soil managed wetland cell information that will be beneficial to on the ground management practices. Maximizing how moist-soil wetland management takes place on the Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area and surrounding region will benefit migrating and wintering waterfowl as well as many other wetland dependent species. Future research is needed to evaluate how to best manage the completed moist-soil wetland project as a whole management unit. (abstract shortened)