Recovery of four montane heath communities on Cairngorm, Scotland, from disturbance by trampling

Bayfield, N.

doi:10.1016/0006-3207(79)90038-7

Cited by 100 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For instance, we are often enjoined to 'take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints', but are those footprints really innocuous? In terrestrial assemblages, damage to flora is directly related to the amount of foot traffic (Bayfield 1979, Cole 1995a. On rocky shores, trampled areas generally have lower densities and diversities of algae and sessile organisms than less trampled areas (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trampling in a seagrass assemblage: direct effects, response of associated fauna, and the role of substrate characteristics

Eckrich¹,

Holmquist²

2000

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Human wading in shallow coastal waters is a common activity that inherently involves trampling of the substrate. An experiment was conducted in Thalassia testudinum seagrass beds in Puerto Rico to determine how seagrass and associated mobile fauna respond to this anthropogenic disturbance. Three trampling intensities were applied to replicate seagrass beds throughout a 4 mo period. Seagrass biomass was inversely related to trampling intensity and duration. There was moderate recovery in the trampled areas 7 mo after the last trampling event. Intense levels of trampling resulted in decreased shrimp abundances, especially for Thor manningi. Fish abundances and composition of shrimp and fish assemblages did not change significantly after 4 mo of trampling. T. testudinum beds with softer substrates lost more seagrass biomass as a result of trampling than seagrass beds with firm substrates, suggesting that substrate firmness can modify disturbance effects. Educators and resource managers should limit trampling by large groups, or confine it to small areas with firm substrates, and researchers should be mindful of artifacts arising from trampling in and around sampling areas.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trampling in a seagrass assemblage: direct effects, response of associated fauna, and the role of substrate characteristics

Eckrich¹,

Holmquist²

2000

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Finally, several studies have identified slope gradient as a dominant factor controlling path morphology and susceptibility to erosion (e.g. Dale and Weaver, 1974;Bayfield, 1979;Coleman, 1981;Jubenville and O'Sullivan, 1987;Cole, 2004). Evaluation of the terrain-unit approach on footpaths aligned downslope or obliquely across-slope is necessary to determine whether the approach is valid for footpaths developed on moderate and steep gradients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A critical control on terrain sensitivity in general, and footpath erosion in particular, is the composition and thus the strength of the vegetation mat (e.g. Dale and Weaver, 1974;Bryan, 1977;Bayfield, 1979Bayfield, , 1985Lance et al, 1989;Haynes et al, 1998;Legg, 2000;Cole and Monz, 2002;Morrocco, 2005). The shearing resistance of the vegetation mat and underlying root zone was measured using a specially constructed device, informally termed a shear rake (Morrocco, 2005).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Footpath morphology and terrain sensitivity on high plateaux: the Mamore Mountains, Western Highlands of Scotland

Morrocco

Ballantyne

2007

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Variations in the morphology of a high-level footpath are characterized using a new approach that relates footpath morphology to six terrain units defined jointly by two contrasting plant communities (U7 grass-heath communities dominated by Nardus stricta and Carex bigelowii, and U10 moss-heath communities dominated by Carex bigelowii and Racomitrium lanuginosum) and by the contrasting textural characteristics of underlying mineral soils developed on schist, granite and quartzite. All six terrain units are characterized by distinct footpath morphologies. The most critical factor affecting footpath morphology is the shear strength of the vegetation mat and underlying root zone. Vegetation mat shear strength was measured using a specially constructed shear rake. On all three lithologies, median shear strengths for U7 communities significantly exceed those for U10 communities, so that pathways on the former are significantly narrower and deeper than those developed on the latter. Adjacent zones of damaged or modified vegetation cover are also wider on U10 communities. The role of mineral soil (regolith) texture and thus underlying lithology in controlling footpath morphology is more complex. For soils with abundant fines, granite soils have lower shearing resistance than schist soils, and are associated with wider footpaths. Footpaths are also wide on clast-supported quartzite regolith, which has high shearing resistance: pathways are trapezoidal in cross-section in areas of U7 vegetation cover, but footpaths are very broad and diffuse in areas of U10 cover. Pathway depths are limited by increasing shear and compressive strength with depth. Implications of these findings for further research and management strategies are discussed.

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“…Accordingly, trampling studies have been conducted in mountain environments around the world including North America [30][31][32], Europe [33,34] and in Tasmania, Australia [35,36]. Using methods proposed by Cole and Bayfield [37], the damage caused by increasing intensities of trampling (0, 30, 100, 200, 500 and 700 passes) have been assessed within five tall alpine herbfield sites in Kosciuszko Summit Area.…”

Section: Trail Development From Tramplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing visitor impacts in the Australian Alps: a case study in informal track development and track recovery

Scherrer¹,

Growcock²

2006

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Vol 97

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Visitation to protected areas is increasing worldwide, causing increasing pressures on areas that are often principally conserved for their natural and cultural heritage values. The Australian Alps have been no exception with a continuing increase occurring over the last 25 years. Visitation to the Kosciuszko Summit Area (Australia's highest mountain) in Kosciuszko National Park, for example, has increased from an estimated 20 000 visits per annum in the late 1970s to over 100 000 per annum by the year 2000. The most common activity of these visitors is walking from one of two main park entrance points to key landmarks within the area. While hardened areas can contain some of the impacts of these visitors, damage from off-track walking can rapidly occur and is slow to recover in this alpine environment. This paper presents a case study from the Kosciuszko Summit Area on track development and recovery in tall alpine herbfields, the area's dominant vegetation community. Results from experimental off-track walking studies demonstrate that longer-term damage can occur after only moderate usage levels (as little as 200 passes). Results from a study on a closed walking track in the area further provide examples of the slow recovery of the vegetation and soils once damage has occurred, with significant differences from undisturbed conditions remaining evident for vegetation cover, soil nutrients and species composition 20 years after track closure. Locally appropriate solutions are required to ensure that a sustainable level of tourism and visitor use can continue to occur in the area. The use of proactive management tools is discussed with regard to a damage prevention/minimisation approach.

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Recovery of four montane heath communities on Cairngorm, Scotland, from disturbance by trampling

Cited by 100 publications

References 8 publications

Trampling in a seagrass assemblage: direct effects, response of associated fauna, and the role of substrate characteristics

Trampling in a seagrass assemblage: direct effects, response of associated fauna, and the role of substrate characteristics

Footpath morphology and terrain sensitivity on high plateaux: the Mamore Mountains, Western Highlands of Scotland

Managing visitor impacts in the Australian Alps: a case study in informal track development and track recovery

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