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Effects Of Moose, Alces Alces, On Aquatic Vegetation In Sibley Provincial Park, Ontario, D. Fraser, H. Hristienko

Feeding Behavior Collection

The effect of Moose (AIces aIces) on aquatic vegetation was studied in Sibley Provincial Park, Ontario. Two small exclosures were built in preferred feeding lakes to protect vegetation from Moose. Both exclosures developed a dense growth of plants. In one, species palatable to Moose were much more abundant than in unprotected areas. The other lake supported very little vegetation outside the exclosure. Aquatic vegetation in a large preferred lake underwent a series of changes from the 1960's to 1980. Nuphar variegatum and Potamogeton filiformis largely disappeared, leaving the lake sparsely vegetated in some years and dominated by annuals in others. …