Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
| Stage name | Water in relation to basin capacity |
Vegetation | Muskrat populations |
Bird populations |
Conspicuous indicator conditions |
| Dry marsh | Absent or low; emergents dry or nearly dry at base | Dense revegetation; most species find a suitable seedbed | Low to absent; populations centrally located | Red-winged blackbirds sparse; some use by upland birds | Red-winged blackbirds; few muskrat lodges; low water |
| Dense marsh; more vegetation than open water | Increasing water levels; emergents flooded | Very dense; rate of opening dependent upon muskrat populations and influence of flooding on certain species | Increasing | Numbers and variety increasing | Red-winged blackbirds increase; first yellow headed blackbirds appear near sparse open pools; few coots and grebes |
| Hemi-marsh; open water and vegetation in about equal amounts | Median to near maximum | Muskrat eat-out; flotation and death; decline in shallow-water species; vegetative propagation | Increasing rapidly; well distributed | Maximum species diversity and production for most species | Many red-winged and yellow-headed black birds uniformly distri buted; coot and pied-billed grebes abundant |
| Open marsh; more open water than vegetation |
Maximum | Submergents and deep- water emergents persist; others absent or disappearing |
Maximum or declining | Most species in decline; a few swimming species tolerate as long as long as some vegetation persist | Sparse bird populations and emergent vegetation |
| Open water marsh; virtually eutrophic lake | Maximum or as low as median |
Scirpus acutus may persist in sparse populations | Sparse; bank dens common | Red-winged blackbirds use shoreline vegetation; other species virtually absent | Red-winged blackbirds use shoreline shrubs and trees |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wetlands/basinwet/table3.htm
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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:56:17 EST
Menlo Park, CA [caww54]
