Reduction of aquatic vegetation following the colonization of a Northern Swedish Lake by the muskrat, Ondatra zibethica

Summary

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethica (L.)) utilizes emergent hydrophytes both for housebuilding and for food. The impact of these activities on stands of Equisetum fluviatile L. in a northern Swedish lake was investigated. The areas of open water created by the muskrats were estimated from infrared air photographs, taken in July, on three occasions during a five-year period. During the first three years, with low muskrat densities, the areas of open water were estimated to represent removal of about one percent of the Equisetum stands. In the summer following a population peak the total area of open water had increased to about four percent. In that summer there were, on average, about 160 such areas per hectare and their combined perimeter length was about 1.5 km. The many small areas created by the muskrats were mostly very irregular in shape, each with a long perimeter in relation to its area. If not too numerous, the muskrats have a positive effect on the waterfowl population in well-vegetated lakes, by increasing the feeding areas available for both adults and young birds.