Significance of bigelow sedges in revegetation program

Sedges are also found to be important in the arctic Alaskan vegetation. A type of sedge is called Bigelow Sedge (Carex bigelowii), which is though not considerably consumed by herbivores, but is important to the area  in terms of revegetation. When oil exploration occurs, this sedge is found to colonize the land quickly after the destruction. This is partly due to their strong resistance to weather and low requirement of nutrients (so itself is not highly nutritious) It helps "rebuild" the ecosystem after devastation or human impact. Observations have shown that they can quickly recolonize the damaged areas of oil spills or sulphur pollution within 2 months, which is very rapid in terms of ecological scale. They then become the primary food source and later on allow successions of other plants to take place. The ecosystems can then be siginificantly resumed. So it is suggested that it may be used as a tool to recover the damage to ecosystems after oil explorations. (Bliss, L. C.; Wein, R. W., 1972)

Further information about its physiology, distribution, values and uses can be found at the following website:
http://www.1upinfo.com/wildlife-plants-animals/plants/graminoid/carbig/all.html

Reference:
1.    Bliss, L. C.; Wein, R. W. (1972). Plant community responses to disturbances in the western Canadian Arctic. Canadian Journal of Botany.
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