. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1969 Weller, Trauger and Krapu: Birds of Great Slave Lake 347. Figure 4. Ground-level boughs of spruce adjacent to dead trunk. The observers are examining the nest-site of a Red-breasted Merganser. ranges from dry tundra lichens and mosses with a few tufts of grass to Labrador Tea {Ledum groenlmidicimi), gooseberry (Ribes sp.), scrubby willow (Salix sp.), white birch (Betida papyrifera) and black spruce (Picea mariana). Willow trees in protected sites do not exceed 6 feet in height. Most birch trees were 8-12 feet tall, and most black spruce were 10-20 feet (Fi
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1969 Weller, Trauger and Krapu: Birds of Great Slave Lake 347. Figure 4. Ground-level boughs of spruce adjacent to dead trunk. The observers are examining the nest-site of a Red-breasted Merganser. ranges from dry tundra lichens and mosses with a few tufts of grass to Labrador Tea {Ledum groenlmidicimi), gooseberry (Ribes sp.), scrubby willow (Salix sp.), white birch (Betida papyrifera) and black spruce (Picea mariana). Willow trees in protected sites do not exceed 6 feet in height. Most birch trees were 8-12 feet tall, and most black spruce were 10-20 feet (Figure 3). Most spruce show the effects of exposure to this harsh environment and have few branches high on the tree, but many sprawling ground-level branches (Figure 4). These islands provide an excellent example of primary succession. Many rocks are bare and polished (presumably by ice as well as water), and no plants except algae grow at the water-line (Figure 3). Other dry, rocky areas are populated with lichens, and level areas often have a trace of soil and a thin layer of mosses (Figure 5). Small depressions and cracks hold sufficient soil to support dense clumps of grasses (mainly Calamagrostis sp.) (Figure 6). Clumps of grass also occur near water level of gradual shorelines (Figure 7). Rocky depressions near the shore often are barren pools, but a few shallow- basins have submergent vegetation. Deeper pools have a partial to continuous moss and sedge mat (Figure 8). Those in more advanced stages have little visible water, but have Labrador Tea at the perimeter and willows at the edge. Some idea of the rate of plant invasion into pools is suggested by a boggy area on the island where we camped. According to aerial photographs taken in. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Ottawa Field-Natur
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