A Survey of Over-Populated Deer Ranges in the United States

Leopold, Aldo; Sowls, Lyle K.; Spencer, David

doi:10.2307/3795561

Cited by 178 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

103

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Cervid irruptions following wolf extirpation have been documented in diverse ecosystems of western North America (Leopold et al 1947;Ripple and Beschta 2005). Plant damage following cervid irruptions has also been found in regions with relatively low productivity as well as those with very high productivity (Beschta and Ripple 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Large predators limit herbivore densities in northern forest ecosystems

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Large predators limit herbivore densities in northern forest ecosystems

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Cover of deciduous trees was reduced on islands with deer. The impact of deer on the growth and survival of tree seedlings has been recognized for many years (Leopold et al 1947).…”

Section: Young Treesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Top-down and bottom-up consequences of unchecked ungulate browsing on plant and animal diversity in temperate forests: lessons from a deer introduction

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Debate on the relative importance of competition for resources and trophic interactions in shaping the biological diversity of living communities remains unsettled after almost a century. Recently, dramatic increases in ungulate populations have provided a useful quasi-experiment on the effects of unrestrained ungulates on forest ecology. The islands of Haida Gwaii (Canada) offer a unique situation to investigate the potential of large herbivores to control temperate forest community structure and diversity. Black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus Merriam, native to adjacent mainland areas of British Columbia, were introduced in 1878 and spread to all but a few islands. Because deer were not native to the archipelago, islands that still lack deer provide a rare instance of temperate forest vegetation and fauna that developed in the absence of large herbivores. The colonisation of different islands at different times, and the absence of significant predation allow us to assess whether and how a large herbivore can exert ''topdown'' control on vegetation and its associated fauna. We studied plant communities in forest interior and shoreline, on seven small islands of varying browse history. Three islands were untouched by deer, deer had been resident for about 15 years on two, and on another two deer had been present for more than 50 years. Without deer, vegetation in the understorey and/or shrub layer was dense or very dense. Structure and composition varied markedly within and between shoreline and interior communities. Without deer, shoreline communities were dominated by species absent from islands with deer. Where deer had been present for less than 20 years most plant species characteristic of shorelines on islands without deer were already absent or scarce, but in the forest interior species richness was less affected and extensive shrub thickets remained. On islands where deer had been present for[50 years vegetation below the browse line was extremely simplified, converging in both forest interior and shoreline towards an open assemblage of a few deer-tolerant species, basically two coniferous trees. This top down effect on the plant community reflected up the food chain so that understorey invertebrate and shrub-dependent songbird communities became simplified. In contrast, species litter arthropods (especially weevils and millipedes) were highest where deer were present for [50 years. Canopy birds were unaffected by deer presence. In the absence of predators, major climatic stress or other means to control the herbivore, deer browsing created greatly simplified plant and animal communities.

show abstract

“…As early as the 1940s, cervid irruptions, after wolf and other predator declines, were first documented in various ecosystems of western North America (35). The shifts in plant communities consequent to the cascading effects of wolf extirpations and of recoveries have been found across a variety of areas of North America, representing a wide range of productivity (6).…”

Section: Gray Wolvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status and Ecological Effects of the World’s Largest Carnivores

Ripple

Estes

Beschta

et al. 2014

Science

2,696

2,641

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background:The largest terrestrial species in the order Carnivora are wide-ranging and rare because of their positions at the top of food webs. They are some of the world's most admired mammals and, ironically, some of the most imperiled. Most have experienced substantial population declines and range contractions throughout the world during the past two centuries. Because of the high metabolic demands that come with endothermy and large body size, these carnivores often require large prey and expansive habitats. These food requirements and wide-ranging behavior often bring them into confl ict with humans and livestock. This, in addition to human intolerance, renders them vulnerable to extinction. Large carnivores face enormous threats that have caused massive declines in their populations and geographic ranges, including habitat loss and degradation, persecution, utilization, and depletion of prey. We highlight how these threats can affect the conservation status and ecological roles of this planet's 31 largest carnivores.

show abstract

A Survey of Over-Populated Deer Ranges in the United States

Cited by 178 publications

References 0 publications

Large predators limit herbivore densities in northern forest ecosystems

Large predators limit herbivore densities in northern forest ecosystems

Top-down and bottom-up consequences of unchecked ungulate browsing on plant and animal diversity in temperate forests: lessons from a deer introduction

Status and Ecological Effects of the World’s Largest Carnivores

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About