A simple method to predict seed yield in moist-soil habitats

Information on production of moist-soil seeds is necessary to determine resource availability in wetland habitats and evaluate management efforts. Traditional methods (e.g., core sampling and seed-head clipping) are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Methods to estimate seed production using seed-h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inWildlife Society bulletin Vol. 33; no. 4; pp. 1335 - 1341
Main Authors Naylor, Luke W., Eadie, John M., Smith, W. David, Eichholz, Mike, Gray, Matthew J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2005
The Wildlife Society
Subjects
California
Central Valley
Core samples
Estimation methods
food availability
Habitat conservation
Habitats
moist-soil
PREDICTING WETLAND SEED YIELD
Production estimates
Seed production
Seeds
Soils
Water management
Waterfowl
Waterfowl and Wetlands Research and Management
wetland management
Wetlands
Wildlife habitats
Wildlife management
Central Valley
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Summary:Information on production of moist-soil seeds is necessary to determine resource availability in wetland habitats and evaluate management efforts. Traditional methods (e.g., core sampling and seed-head clipping) are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Methods to estimate seed production using seed-head characteristics tend to be complex and may have limited utility for some moist-soil plants and in some regions. We developed a simple method to evaluate percent cover and seed-head characteristics of 6 common moist-soil plant types in the Central Valley of California. We estimated percent cover (AREA) and seed-producing potential of each plant type (QUALITY) using an ordinal scale for 13 wetland units on private duck clubs. The product of the AREA and QUALITY scores was calculated for each plant type and then summed over all plant types to provide a single index of seed production (Seed Production Index, SPI) for each unit. To evaluate the reliability of this index, we regressed the value of SPI for each unit against estimates of seed production derived by core sampling. The SPI index was correlated with estimates of moist-soil seed biomass (kg/ha) obtained by core sampling (R2adj=0.88, P< 0.0001). To further assess the utility of this method in a field situation, 2 observers estimated SPI independently for 183 wetland units during annual site visits for the California Comprehensive Wetland Habitat Program. Estimates of SPI required <15 minutes for most wetlands and were repeatable for the 2 observers (intraclass correlation coefficient =0.79, P<0.0001). We suggest that this technique will provide managers with a simple method to estimate seed production in moist-soil wetlands, track temporal changes in food abundance within wetlands and across landscapes, estimate wetland carrying capacity, and evaluate management actions with minimal resource investment.
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LNaylor@ducks.org
holds the Dennis G. Raveling Waterfowl Professorship in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at the University of California, Davis. John received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of British Columbia, his M.S. in biology from Queen's University, and his B.S. (Honors) in zoology from the University of Western Ontario. John's current research focus includes the ecology, behavior, and management of waterfowl.
John M. Eadie
W. David (Dave) Smith
Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Western Regional Office, 3074 Gold Cana Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670, USA; e‐mail
.
is an assistant professor of wetland ecology at the University of Tennessee‐Knoxville. He has conducted research on moist‐soil wetlands in Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Tennessee. Dr. Gray conducted previous studies on predicting seed yield of moist‐soil plants using efficient field assessment techniques.
(top, right) is an area resource conservationist for Programs with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Missoula, Montana, where he is focused on achieving landscape‐scale wildlife and fisheries benefits through Farm Bill conservation programs. He previously served for 12 years as the Farm Bill/Wetlands Coordinator and statewide wetlands biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game, providing leadership on agricultural‐wildlife policy and wetland habitat management through the Central Valley Joint Venture and International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He received a B.A. in wildlife management from California State University, Chico.
Mike Eichholz
(below) previously served as the evaluation and monitoring coordinator for the Centra Valley Habitat Joint Venture and is currently an assistant professor of zoology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Mike received a B.S. in zoology from SIUC and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in wildlife biology. His research interests include the response of individual vital rates and populations of waterfowl to nutrient availability and other environmental factors.
Matthew J. (Matt) Gray
(above), a biologist in the Western Regiona Office of Ducks Unlimited, coordinates the California Department of Fish and Game's Landowner Incentive Program. Luke received his M.S. in conservation ecology from the University of California, Davis and his B.S. in wildlife and fisheries biology from Kansas State University. His primary areas of interest are the ecology and management of wetlands and waterfowl.
Luke W. Naylor
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ISSN:0091-7648
1938-5463
DOI:10.2193/0091-7648(2005)33[1335:ASMTPS]2.0.CO;2