Structuring Effects of Deer in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

Côté, Steeve D.; Béguin, Julien; Bellefeuille, Sonia de; Champagne, Émilie; Thiffault, Nelson; Tremblay, Jean‐Pierre

doi:10.1155/2014/917834

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Our findings corroborate the view that deer herbivory is functionally a chronic disturbance agent, especially at high densities [64,65]. This chronic disturbance caused by severe herbivory would negatively impact native shrubs and herbaceous species with high palatability, but would benefit graminoids and ferns that had both low palatability and a growing point at or near ground level, and also benefit invasive species such as barberry that have low palatability because of high alkaloid concentrations [66].…”

Section: Deer Herbivorysupporting

confidence: 83%

Independent Effects of Invasive Shrubs and Deer Herbivory on Plant Community Dynamics

Ward

Williams

Linske

2016

Forests

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Both invasive species and deer herbivory are recognized as locally important drivers of plant community dynamics. However, few studies have examined whether their effects are synergistic, additive, or antagonistic. At three study areas in southern New England, we examined the interaction of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) herbivory and three levels of invasive shrub control over seven growing seasons on the dynamics of nine herbaceous and shrub guilds. Although evidence of synergistic interactions was minimal, the separate effects of invasive shrub control and deer herbivory on plant community composition and dynamics were profound. Plant communities remained relatively unchanged where invasive shrubs were not treated, regardless if deer herbivory was excluded or not. With increasing intensity of invasive shrub control, native shrubs and forbs became more dominant where deer herbivory was excluded, and native graminoids became progressively more dominant where deer herbivory remained severe. While deer exclusion and intensive invasive shrub control increased native shrubs and forbs, it also increased invasive vines. Restoring native plant communities in areas with both established invasive shrub thickets and severe deer browsing will require an integrated management plan to eliminate recalcitrant invasive shrubs, reduce deer browsing intensity, and quickly treat other opportunistic invasive species.

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Section: Deer Herbivorysupporting

confidence: 83%

Independent Effects of Invasive Shrubs and Deer Herbivory on Plant Community Dynamics

Ward

Williams

Linske

2016

Forests

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“…Experimental trials of animals in captivity or exclusion experiments have found evidence for both increasing and decreasing diversity in natural communities (Augustine and McNaughton 1998; Côté et al 2014; Kalisz et al 2014); which suggests that herbivory may indeed be inconsistent in its effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing a herbivore’s diet using a novel rbcL DNA mini-barcode for plants

et al. 2017

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US forests are plagued by chronic deer feeding on native plants and the invasion of exotic plants. One possible synergy of these issues is that white-tailed deer preferentially consume native plants and ignore exotic plants. This issue is difficult to test due to the inability to closely measure deer feeding. We used a DNA barcoding protocol to examine the plant DNA found in deer feces at a Virginia site. We identified most plant species and found exotics, as well as native plants, in the feces examined. Deer apparently avoid some exotic plants but are not the sole reason for the abundance of most exotics.

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“…), and deciphering indirect effects of herbivore consumers is a very active field of research (see reviews in Rooney & Waller ; Côté et al . ). Herbivores influence feedbacks between plant and soil ecosystems, with resulting effects on plant succession depending on feeding preferences of grazers or browsers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Moose directly slow plant regeneration but have limited indirect effects on soil stoichiometry and litter decomposition rates in disturbed maritime boreal forests

Ellis

Leroux

2017

Functional Ecology

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Summary Foraging decisions by herbivores are modulated by physiological demands for nutrients and these decisions can influence the biomass, abundance and dynamics of plant species with consequences on key ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling and decomposition. Some studies have found that large browser populations can reduce the abundance of nutrient‐rich preferred species, promoting the dominance of nutrient‐poor non‐preferred species. This can have indirect effects on soil nutrient concentrations, soil microbe community composition and above‐ground invertebrates and birds that depend on nutrient‐rich plant species. However, very little research has compared the impact of biotic and abiotic features on nutrient cycling and decomposition in areas of high moose density. We performed a field study to test the generality of moose effects on forest ecosystems observed in iconic study systems such as Isle Royale. Specifically, we used 10 paired moose exclosure and control plots to test the effects of moose on plant community characteristics, litter fall quantity, soil properties and litter decomposition rates in regenerating disturbed forests in Newfoundland, Canada. We found evidence that moose reduce plant height and plant litter biomass, thereby affecting the quantity of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus available in litter fall with potential indirect effects on soil pH and soil depth. However, we found no evidence that the direct effects of moose lead to indirect effects on soil quality, soil moisture and litter decomposition rates. Disturbance regime and site explained a large portion of the variance in plant community characteristics, litter fall quantity, soil properties and litter decomposition. Our results suggest that while introduced moose in Newfoundland have measurable direct influence on plant regeneration and litter fall biomass, other factors such as disturbance history and climate may be more important predictors of landscape‐scale variation in soil quality and litter decomposition rates. Our study suggests a need for further development of theory to predict the relative contribution of biotic vs. abiotic effects on nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12785/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Structuring Effects of Deer in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

Cited by 27 publications

References 99 publications

Independent Effects of Invasive Shrubs and Deer Herbivory on Plant Community Dynamics

Independent Effects of Invasive Shrubs and Deer Herbivory on Plant Community Dynamics

Reconstructing a herbivore’s diet using a novel rbcL DNA mini-barcode for plants

Moose directly slow plant regeneration but have limited indirect effects on soil stoichiometry and litter decomposition rates in disturbed maritime boreal forests

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