Litter Trap Results at the Tanana River Exclosures: 2001 - Present

This study examines the effects browsing by mammals has on the function of the Alaskan taiga ecosystem. The primary emphasis is the effects that browsing in winter by snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and moose (Alces alces) have on vegetation composition, leaf litter biomass, and growth of deciduous shrubs on the floodplain of the Tannana River. Nine 50m X 20m exclosures were originally established in the willow stage and alder stage of succession in 1988 which have been used to evaluate the effect of browsing on vegetation dynamics, element cycling, soil chemistry. Additionally, the effect on vegetation type on the diversity and abundance of neotropical birds as well as ground-dwelling invertebrates populations on the the Tannana floodplain has been examined. This is an ongoing study.