Do alpine hiking trails show
evidence of edge effects?
evidence of edge effects?
Conclusions
A few trends emerge from the analyses presented here:
1. Although overall vascular and overall non-vascular cover are consistent along the distance gradient, if we shift our perspective to look at abiotic versus biotic cover, we do see that there are changes associated with increasing distance from trail. Close to the trail there is a decline in biotic cover (accounted for by changes in lichen and litter abundance) and an increase in abiotic cover (rock and soil).
2. Changes in vascular composition across the distance gradient appear to be minimal and appear to be related to changes in the natural environment rather than human impact.
3. Lichens may be a good early indicator of human impact. Their abundance declined close to the trail, and there was a strong inverse correlation between soil compaction and lichen cover.
Overall, the plant community on Cardinal Divide appears to be resilient to low-intensity trampling. More work is needed in order to assess what levels of trampling a system can withstand before compositional changes begin to appear in different types of tundra communities. However, the results of this particular project suggest that Dryas meadows (which are common in the Canadian Rockies) can sustain some degree of off-trail use, and that low levels of random use by hikers do not pose a serious threat to the integrity of the system.
1. Although overall vascular and overall non-vascular cover are consistent along the distance gradient, if we shift our perspective to look at abiotic versus biotic cover, we do see that there are changes associated with increasing distance from trail. Close to the trail there is a decline in biotic cover (accounted for by changes in lichen and litter abundance) and an increase in abiotic cover (rock and soil).
2. Changes in vascular composition across the distance gradient appear to be minimal and appear to be related to changes in the natural environment rather than human impact.
3. Lichens may be a good early indicator of human impact. Their abundance declined close to the trail, and there was a strong inverse correlation between soil compaction and lichen cover.
Overall, the plant community on Cardinal Divide appears to be resilient to low-intensity trampling. More work is needed in order to assess what levels of trampling a system can withstand before compositional changes begin to appear in different types of tundra communities. However, the results of this particular project suggest that Dryas meadows (which are common in the Canadian Rockies) can sustain some degree of off-trail use, and that low levels of random use by hikers do not pose a serious threat to the integrity of the system.
Works Cited
Bayfield, NG, UH Urquhart & SM Cooper. 1981. Susceptibility of Four Species of Cladonia to Disturbance by Trampling in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland. Journal of Applied Ecology 18: 303-310.
Cole, David N. 1995. Experimental Trampling of Vegetation. II. Predictors of Resistance and Resilience. Journal of Applied Ecology 32: 215-224.
Cole, David N. 1987. Effects of Three Seasons of Experimental Trampling on Five Montane Forest Communities and a Grassland in Western Montana, USA. Biological Conservation 40: 219-244.
Dale, D. & T. Weaver. 1974. Trampling Effects on Vegetation of the Trail Corridors of the Northern Rocky Mountain Forests. Journal of Applied Ecology 11 (2): 767-772.
Ebersole, James J. 2002. Recovery of Alpine Vegetation on Small, Denuded Plots, Niwot Ridge, Colorado, U.S.A. Arctic, Antarctic & Alpine Research 34 (4): 389-397.
Gould, Alice Joyce. 2007. A Habitat-based Approach to Rare Vascular Plant Conservation in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Alberta. PhD Dissertation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Legendre, Pierre, & Marti J. Anderson. 1999. Distance-Based Redundancy Analysis: Testing Multispecies Responses in Multifactorial Ecological Experiments. Ecological Monographs 69 (1): 1-24.
Tejedo, P., et. al. 2009. Soil Trampling in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area: Tools to Assess Levels of Human Impact. Antarctic Science 21: 229-236.
Willard, Beatrice E., David J. Cooper & Bruce C. Forbes. 2007. Natural Revegetation of Alpine Tundra Vegetation after Human Trampling: a 42-year Dataset from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, U.S.A. Arctic, Antarctic & Alpine Research 39 (1): 177-183.
Cole, David N. 1995. Experimental Trampling of Vegetation. II. Predictors of Resistance and Resilience. Journal of Applied Ecology 32: 215-224.
Cole, David N. 1987. Effects of Three Seasons of Experimental Trampling on Five Montane Forest Communities and a Grassland in Western Montana, USA. Biological Conservation 40: 219-244.
Dale, D. & T. Weaver. 1974. Trampling Effects on Vegetation of the Trail Corridors of the Northern Rocky Mountain Forests. Journal of Applied Ecology 11 (2): 767-772.
Ebersole, James J. 2002. Recovery of Alpine Vegetation on Small, Denuded Plots, Niwot Ridge, Colorado, U.S.A. Arctic, Antarctic & Alpine Research 34 (4): 389-397.
Gould, Alice Joyce. 2007. A Habitat-based Approach to Rare Vascular Plant Conservation in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Alberta. PhD Dissertation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Legendre, Pierre, & Marti J. Anderson. 1999. Distance-Based Redundancy Analysis: Testing Multispecies Responses in Multifactorial Ecological Experiments. Ecological Monographs 69 (1): 1-24.
Tejedo, P., et. al. 2009. Soil Trampling in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area: Tools to Assess Levels of Human Impact. Antarctic Science 21: 229-236.
Willard, Beatrice E., David J. Cooper & Bruce C. Forbes. 2007. Natural Revegetation of Alpine Tundra Vegetation after Human Trampling: a 42-year Dataset from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, U.S.A. Arctic, Antarctic & Alpine Research 39 (1): 177-183.
Acknowledgements
This project was made possible by funding from:
-The Alberta Conservation Association
-Alberta Parks
-Alberta Sports, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation
-The Canadian Circumpolar Institute
-The Alpine Club of Canada
-NSERC
I would like to thank Sheena Briggs, Jamie Lypowy, Sam Karpyshyn, Alison Rose and Pete Presant for their help in the field, Joyce Gould and Ellen Macdonald (supervisor) for scientific direction and support, and Andreas Hamann, Laura Gray and Stefanie Gaertner for their assistance with the analyses presented in this website.
-The Alberta Conservation Association
-Alberta Parks
-Alberta Sports, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation
-The Canadian Circumpolar Institute
-The Alpine Club of Canada
-NSERC
I would like to thank Sheena Briggs, Jamie Lypowy, Sam Karpyshyn, Alison Rose and Pete Presant for their help in the field, Joyce Gould and Ellen Macdonald (supervisor) for scientific direction and support, and Andreas Hamann, Laura Gray and Stefanie Gaertner for their assistance with the analyses presented in this website.
Photo Credits
Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre: http://tpr.alberta.ca
Steffe Jansson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steffe/
Steffe Jansson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steffe/
Contact Information
For questions regarding this website and its contents, please contact Varina Crisfield at:
[email protected]
All material copyright 2010 (with the exception of the photos credited above).
[email protected]
All material copyright 2010 (with the exception of the photos credited above).
