For 3 years, Zacheis et al. measured the effects of annual browsing by migrating snow (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and Canadian geese (Branta canadensis) on two vegetation communities, the herb meadow community and the sedge meadow community, in the Susitna Flats of Alaska. Although the two geese species consumed the same plants, snow geese preferred below-ground plant parts, while Canada geese consumed mostly aboveground plant parts. Fecal counts indicated that geese used the sedge meadow community slightly more than the herb meadow community. Vegetation measurements showed that grazing in the sedge meadow community altered the species composition, whereas, no differences were detected in the herb meadow community, after three years of grazing. Possible reasons for the difference in the response of the two plant communities to grazing may be the amount of below-ground grazing that occurs in each community. Increased below-ground grazing may be more detrimental to certain plant species; thereby altering of competitive relationships between plant species, as some plants can withstand greater grazing pressure and may increase after other plants are grazed.
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