A preliminary study of plants at the Lower Hamburg Bend Conservation Area prior to flooding with a reopened chute of the Missouri River.
Chevalier, Cary
The Lower Hamburg Bend Conservation Area (LHBCA) contains
approximately 3,000 acres of wetland habitat located on the east side of
the Missouri River just south of the Iowa border. As part of a joint
project of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (COE), a chute was reopened through the LHBCA to
form an island, sloughs, and backwater areas during the summer of 2004.
Within the study area plots were used to sample herbaceous plants, woody
seedlings, saplings, and over-story trees according to the Vegetation
Monitoring System (VMS) of the MDC. All sampling was done in June and
July of 2002, 2003 and 2004 before the construction of the chute. This
study compares VMS Importance Values of the top herbaceous species in
all three years including Solidago altissima, Setaria faberil, Bromus
inermis, and Lippia Ianceolata. In addition, it was found that most of
the plants sampled during these preliminary surveys are introduced or
generalist plants. This 3-year study shows evidence that Populus
deltoids was the primary woody species that survives to maturity. Salix
nigra showed dramatic increases in seedling and saplings, but showed a
decrease in over-story trees during the three years of this study. Salix
interior demonstrated its typical role as a pioneer species by having
high importance values during the first year of the study (2002) and
showing dramatic decreases in importance values in 2003 and 2004. It is
expected that native wetland species will increase as the marsh habitat
expands after the river cute is reopened and backwater areas are
established. Support from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
* Miller, L. and J. Rushin. Biology Department, Missouri Western
State College.