The authors of this study used exclosures and simulated grazing to determine if arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) plant biomass allocation and reproductive strategy was related to goose herbivory. The reproductive strategy used by arrowgrass plants, which tended to be related to plant size and reproduction, sexual or vegetative, decreased plant survival. Plants with different reproductive strategies allocated biomass differently and sexual reproduction generally required greater inputs than vegetative reproduction. The authors suggest that geese may affect the reproductive strategy of arrowgrass plants through a reduction in plant size, caused by grazing, and selective goose consumption of plants with inflorescences and large plants, which are most likely to reproduce.
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