<p> Stabilized water levels of the upper St. Lawrence River have reduced plant diversity and allowed competitively dominant taxa such as <i>Typha </i> x <i>glauca</i> and <i>Typha angustifolia </i> to displace productive sedge meadow habitat. This research studied the effects of two wetland enhancement techniques using habitat heterogeneity and manipulating hydrology. Dredge spoils from pothole excavations in <i> Typha</i> marshes were reconfigured to create habitat mounds. These habitat mounds created from an exposed seed bank had less <i>Typha</i> spp. and were more diverse than the surrounding remnant <i>Typha</i> marshes. Sedge meadow vegetation did not successfully colonize these habitat mounds. Water levels at two wetlands were raised above the water levels of the upper St. Lawrence River. Raising water levels increased floating leaf aquatic vegetation but did not decrease <i>Typha</i> spp. Alternative enhancement methods may be necessary to control <i>Typha</i> spp. while restoring sedge meadows.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10254553 |
| Date | 08 March 2017 |
| Creators | Regan, Matthew |
| Publisher | State University of New York Col. of Environmental Science & Forestry |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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