Vegetation zonation among the microhabitats in a lacustrine environment: analysis and application of belowground species trait patterns

Post-construction adjustments in bank profiles have created four distinct m icrohabitats along the Neebing-McIntyre floodway, which is located on the n orth shore of Lake Superior in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The microhabit ats have been colonised by local species leading to a vegetation zonation s imilar to that found in natural riparian communities. A multi-response perm utation procedure (MRPP) confirmed that the plant communities of the four m icrohabitats were significantly different. Aquatic species such as Potamoge ton perfoliatus dominate the Shelf, while Equisetum and Scirpus microcarpus dominate the Bench. Shrubs such as Alnus rugosa are important in the Scarp habitat. Grasses such as Deschampsia flexuosa and Phleum pratense dominate the Scarp and Slope. A trait matrix of the belowground characteristics of the most common species was created to explore the relationship between tra its and microhabitats. The trait matrix approach is useful for identifying species with traits that help in bank stabilization that also have the trai ts necessary to thrive in a particular microhabitat. The trait matrix appro ach can be generalized to assist managers in the identification of appropri ate species for many types of restoration projects. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.