Relationship of road density and marsh condition to turtle assemblage characteristics in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Human-induced degradation of coastal wetlands often leads to altered trophic dynamics and species assemblages. Here we use data from 77 coastal marshes in three Laurentian Great Lakes collected between 2001 and 2007 to examine the relationship between human disturbance (road… Read More
Implications of the species-area relationship on sampling effort and conservation priorities of wetland birds in southern Ontario
Coastal wetlands of southern Ontario are highly fragmented and exist as islands within a primarily urban- ized and agricultural matrix. Given the large variation in size of remaining fragments, it is important to determine if species-area relationships exist for wetland birds, so… Read More
Comparative study of ecological indices for assessing human-induced disturbance in coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Several ecological indices have been developed to evaluate the wetland quality in the Laurentian Great Lakes. One index, the water quality index (WQI) can be widely applied to wetlands and produces accurate measurements of wetland condition. The WQI measures the degree of water… Read More
Non-random sampling and its role in habitat conservation: a comparison of three wetland macrophyte sampling protocols
Aquatic macrophytes provide essential spawning and nursery habitat for fish, valuable food source for waterfowl, migratory birds and mammals, and contribute greatly to overall biodiversity of coastal marshes of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Two approaches have been used to survey… Read More
The relative importance of road density and physical watershed features in determining coastal marsh water quality in Georgian Bay
We used a GIS-based approach to examine the influence of road density and physical watershed features (watershed size, wetland cover, and bedrock type) on water quality in coastal marshes of Georgian Bay, Ontario. We created a GIS that included landscape information and water… Read More