Date of Award
5-2017
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Departmental Honors
Department
Watershed Sciences
Abstract
Waterfowl have been shown to be important dispersers of different species of aquatic plants and the ingestion of seeds by waterfowl can affect seed dormancy loss. Additionally, it has been found that cold and chemical stratification is an effective means of initiating dormancy loss. By studying the effects of duck ingestion and natural cold stratification this project can determine whether bulrush seed dormancy loss was a direct cause of duck ingestion or natural cold stratification. Determining which specific environmental factors most greatly effect seed dormancy will help managers maximize the effectiveness of restoration of alkali bulrush (Schoenoplectus maritimus), following removal of invasive Phragmites australis. In this study, we paired evaluations of seed dormancy break from collected wild ducks with seed placed in Great Salt Lake wetlands within the water column, berried in sediment, and kept in a non-flooded area. Seeds were first placed in early October and then taken in late December to allow cold stratification to take place. We looked specifically at comparisons between germination from seeds removed from mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and green-winged teal (Anas crecca) gizzards and seeds collected from field sources. Seeds were collected from the gizzards of hunter harvested ducks during two one month periods. In the first interval (November) 14 mallards and 8 green-winged teal gizzards were taken and in the second interval (December) 15 mallards and 8 green-winged teal gizzards were collected. Wetland samples were removed at the end of December. This project tested for any significant difference in dormancy loss between mallard ingestion and natural cold stratification. Managers can use the information in this study to better understand how dormancy is being lost in a natural setting and how management action can be altered to maximize dormancy loss in both existing bulrush stands and within active restorations.
Recommended Citation
Mossman, Bret N., "Ducks Diet and Dormancy: Implications for Seed-Based Wetland Restoration" (2017). Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects. 1046.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/honors/1046
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Faculty Mentor
Karin M. Kettenring