Habitat suitability for northern wild rice restoration: The role of pickerelweed in seedling establishment

Wild rice is a cultural keystone species to the indigenous people of the upper Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence River. The Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment (ATFE) has recently expressed an interest in developing a wild rice restoration program. One alternative to assessing potential wild rice restoration sites was to seek out the presence of pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata L.). Therefore, a sowing trial was conducted to assess the feasibility of enhancing populations of northern wild rice ( Zizania palustris L.) by evaluating the potential of pickerelweed as an indicator of suitable habitat, and to determine if pickerelweed functions as a potential facilitator to the successful establishment and growth of northern wild rice. Specifically, this study examined the presence and distribution of suitable northern wild rice habitat, assessed the patterns of association between northern wild rice and pickerelweed, and investigated the processes associated with the observed patterns of occurrence.