Natural Revegetation on Borrow Pits and Vehicle Tracks in Shrub Tundra, 48 Years following Construction of the CANOL No. 1 Pipeline, N.W.T., Canada

Abstract

An intensive study of longterm revegetation patterns in Erect Deciduous Shrub Tundra on anthropogenic disturbances was conducted in the summer of 1993 within the abandoned CANOL pipeline corridor. Primary and secondary succession were investigated on vehicle tracks and borrow pits by collecting data on the cover of all vascular and nonvascular species. Significant differences in species composition were evident among disturbance types from nested analyses of variance. Disturbance sites were characterized by lower abundance of woody plants and overall greater species richness than undisturbed areas. Borrow pits, still dominated by pioneer species, were in the preliminary stages of succession. Pioneer species persisted on vehicle tracks in the intermediate succession stages, although some species replacement was evident.