Wilson and Jefferies examined differences in vegetation and soil characteristics in intertidal and inland marshes, as well as at grazed and ungrazed sites, in La Perouse Bay, Manitoba. They found that lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) feed more intensively on intertidal sites compared to inland sites. Grubbed sites were found to have less above-ground biomass, and lower amounts of total soil nitrogen, exchangeable inorganic nitrogen and net mineralization of soil nitrogen than the ungrazed sites. Differences in the quantity and quality of vegetation are associated with variation in biogeochemical cycling in soils. Geese exploit patches of vegetation as their primary source of forage where net above-ground primary production is high and plant tissues are rich in nitrogen.
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