Passive Recovery Risks Non-native Vegetation Invasion Following Intensive Herbivory by Canada Geese in Two Salish Sea Estuaries

Abstract

Paper summary generated by OpenAI: This study investigates the impact of passive recovery on non-native vegetation invasion following intensive herbivory by Canada geese in two estuaries of the Salish Sea. Using generalized linear models, the research compares tall perennial graminoid (TPG) abundance in grazing exclosures of varying ages to undisturbed and actively grazed marsh areas. Findings reveal that while 10-year-old exclosures show some recovery in TPG cover and seed proportion compared to undisturbed sites, they also exhibit a significant increase in non-native TPG relative abundance. The results suggest that passive recovery alone may not restore native vegetation effectively, highlighting the need for active restoration strategies in heavily grazed estuarine environments.