Effects of white-tailed deer on vegetation structure and woody seedling composition in three forest types on the Piedmont Plateau

Rossell, C. Reed; Gorsira, Bryan; Patch, Steven C.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2005.02.035

Cited by 76 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Browsing pressure has resulted in pronounced reductions in seedling survival and scarcity of saplings in various Quercus savannah and woodland populations in North America (Allen-Diaz and Bartolome, 1992;McPherson, 1993;Bonfil, 1998;Rooney, 2003;Rossell et al, 2005). The rarity of Q. buckleyi, Q. virginiana and Q. glaucoides saplings in the Edwards Plateau Region of south central Texas was attributed to browsing by Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) (Van Auken, 1988Fowler, 1999, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure of Quercus gambelii communities in the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, USA

Ryniker

Bush

Auken

2006

Forest Ecology and Management

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure of Quercus gambelii communities in the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, USA

Ryniker

Bush

Auken

2006

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Similarly, following eighteen years of deer exclusion in a mixed-oak forest in Pennsylvania, Abrams and Johnson (2012) observed an increase in tree seedling number, but no stimulation of oak regeneration and sapling recruitment. Overall, the long-term influence of persistent deer browsing on forest stand dynamics is not well understood, as previous studies typically have been spatially and temporally limited with deer exclosures smaller than 1 ha or experiments often lasting less than ten years (Bowersox et al 1995, Long et al 2007, Rossell et al 2005, Sage et al 2003, Tilghman 1989.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Twenty Years of Deer Exclusion on Woody Vegetation at Three Life-History Stages in a Mid-Atlantic Temperate Deciduous Forest

McGarvey

Bourg

Thompson

et al. 2013

Northeastern Naturalist

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-Chronic browsing by Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) has potential to alter the life history of trees within Mid-Atlantic forests, including seedling size and abundance in the short term to overstory composition in the long term. Most studies quantify the effects of deer browse using small plots (<1 ha) and short time frames (<10 years), which may misrepresent larger-scale and longer-term impacts. We maintained a 4-ha deer exclusion plot for 20 years in a mesic northern Virginia temperate deciduous forest to examine the impacts of browsing on forest trees at multiple life-history stages. We compared the abundance and species composition, as well as seedling height, of woody stems across the seedling, small-sapling, and large-sapling size classes inside the deer exclosure and within an adjacent reference area. There were no significant differences in seedling abundance or community composition, but seedling height was on average 2.25 times greater in the exclosure than the reference plot. Small-sapling (1-5 cm DBH) stem count was 4.1 times greater inside the exclosure, with all species more abundant in the exclosure except Asimina triloba (Pawpaw) and Carya tomentosa (Mockernut Hickory). Differences were smaller in the large-sapling size class (5-10 cm DBH), with relative total large-sapling stem count only 1.25 times greater in the exclosure. Browsing pressure appeared to influence the composition and size structure of smaller stems in the past 20 years, but has had little effect on larger stems. While the lack of replication limited the scope of inference of our study, our findings suggest that natural delays in mature tree recruitment in a closed-canopy forest may mask the full impact of deer herbivory for decades.

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“…Most notably, deer can increase seedling mortality, and repeated browsing can decrease tree seedling and sapling growth rates (Hough, 1965;Ross et al, 1970;Anderson and Loucks, 1979;Marquis, 1981;Tilghman, 1989;Pedersen and Wallis, 2004;Rossell et al, 2005). Deer and other mammalian herbivores also can impact woody seedling survival and growth indirectly by increasing susceptibility to drought (Peterson and Pickett, 1995) or changing the herb layer composition (Castleberry et al, 2000;Gitzen and West, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Woody regeneration in and around aging southern bottomland hardwood forest gaps: Effects of herbivory and gap size

Holladay

Kwit

Collins

2006

Forest Ecology and Management

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Effects of white-tailed deer on vegetation structure and woody seedling composition in three forest types on the Piedmont Plateau

Cited by 76 publications

References 15 publications

Structure of Quercus gambelii communities in the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, USA

Structure of Quercus gambelii communities in the Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, USA

Effects of Twenty Years of Deer Exclusion on Woody Vegetation at Three Life-History Stages in a Mid-Atlantic Temperate Deciduous Forest

Woody regeneration in and around aging southern bottomland hardwood forest gaps: Effects of herbivory and gap size

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