Cynthiann Heckelsmiller, Weber State University
Life Sciences
Heavy foot traffic compacts soil, leading to decreased gas exchange, water permeability, and reduced nutrient cycling. Plant communities are defined by the availability of nutrients, water, and other resources.
The purpose of this study was to define how a plant community changes as distance from a recreational trail increases. We hypothesized that there would be a gradient from generalist species to endemic species. We also expected bare ground to decrease with increased distance from the trail.
We estimated plant cover type composition at various distances from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in the foothills of Ogden, Utah. Our study site was relatively flat, so elevation change was not a factor. We used belt transects to sample at 1m, 10m and 20m from the trail. Data were collected for 20 1m2 quadrats per transect. Data were analyzed via t-tests and an ANOVA test.
Our hypothesis that plant communities change as distance away from the trail increases was supported. We found significant differences in composition at each transect. Interestingly, the 10m transect had much more bare ground than either the 1m or 20m transects. We attribute this to a higher frequency of large rocks that may have been displaced when the trail was established.
We encourage individuals to stay on trails to allow natural plant communities to flourish so endemic species may thrive in their preferred niches.