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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2008
- Title: Linking the Past to the Present: Beaver Provide Suitable Wetland Habitat for Rare Plant Swamp Lousewort in Central Massachusetts
- Author: Erin L Schaeffer (Mount Holyoke College)
- Abstract:
Swamp Lousewort, (Pedicularis lanceolata) is a hemiparasitic plant, once more common in New England, now declared rare in Massachusetts with only two existent populations in the state. The purpose of this study is to consider how historical and present day interactions among beaver (Castor canadensis), land use and wildlife management affect available open habitat for the recruitment and survivorship of Swamp Lousewort. We analyzed historical images, maps, journals and conducted interviews to reconstruct historical and current habitat changes for Swamp Lousewort. In the 17th century, when beaver were extirpated from the national landscape, pastures continued to provide open spaces for wetland species. Current land use of wetland habitat and high beaver density are conservation areas, compared to agricultural or residential spaces. Our field data on canopy cover measurements and counts of beaver sign show an increase in beaver density in areas of wetland habitat suitable for Swamp Lousewort. Today, Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea), a grass once used to feed livestock in the 19th century, is currently an invasive species capable of forming monocultures that threaten the occurrence of native wetland species through competition exclusion. Our study suggests that beaver create and sustain suitable habitat for native wetland species at the cost of engineering prime habitat for invasive Reed Canary Grass.
- Research Category: Conservation and Management
