Height of Dominant Woody Plants Inside and Outside Exclosures Located in FP1

This study examines the effects browsing by mammals has on the function of the Alaskan taiga ecosystem. The primary emphasis is on the effects of browsing in winter by snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and moose (Alces alces) have on primary succession on the floodplain of the Tannana River. On this floodplain exclosures established in the willow stage and alder stage of succession in 1988 have been used to evaluate the effect of browsing has had on vegetation dynamics, element cycling, soil chemistry. Additionally, the effect on vegetation type on the diversity and abundance of neotropical birds nesting on the the Tannana floodplain has been examinedand insects. This ongoing study has been in progress for 10 years.