Interactions between forests and herbivores: the role of controlled grazing experiments

Hester, Alison J.; Edenius, Lars; Buttenschøn, Rita; Kuiters, A.T.

doi:10.1093/forestry/73.4.381

Cited by 142 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Readers are referred to some more specifics of the discussion for the restoration of firs and other tree species carried out at many forests of the world (Hester et al 2000, Kay and Bartos 2000, Halpern 2001, Takahashi et al 2001, Narukawa and Yamamoto 2002, Ito and Hino 2004, Taylor et al 2004, Dobrowolska 2008, Doležal et al 2009, Pellerin et al 2010, Nagaike et al 2014, Bottero et al 2015. It is worth to pay due attention to measure appropriate vegetation indices on forest ecosystems impacted by deer (Iijima and Nagaike 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance in seedling development of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) tree species on higher altitude forests of Mt. Hallasan National Park, the central part of Jeju Island, Korea

Kim¹,

Lee²,

Choi³

et al. 2017

j ecology environ

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Background: Natural regeneration of seedlings as well as saplings of Korean fir has been significantly impacted by the browsing from the early stages of their development, potentially, by roe deer for the last two to three decades at the study site since late 1980s. This study was carried out to investigate current status of the disturbance in the seedling development of Korean fir (Abies koreana) on Mt. Hallasan, Jeju Island, Korea.Methods: Field survey was carried out during June and August in 2016 to measure the characteristics of study site and understory vegetation by applying systematic sampling to 125 plots of 5 m × 5 m quadrat located on eastern slope of the mountain. Correlation and regression analyses were applied to the variables quantified from the data sets using the SAS software.Results: No saplings with their diameters at breast heights smaller than 5.0 cm were found at the study site indicating the serious disturbance in the natural regeneration of Korean fir at the study site. No seedlings with their heights taller than 36.0 cm were found at the study site indicating even more serious disturbance during earlier stage of the natural regeneration of Korean fir at the study site. A total of 616 individuals of the seedlings of Korean fir were found at 54 out of 125 sampling plots. One hundred thirty-eight seedlings (22.4%) out of 616 individual seedlings have the vestiges for being grazed, potentially, by roe deer. Conclusions: Due considerations should be given to the effects of browsing of the seedlings by roe deer to promote the natural regeneration of Korean fir, ultimately to restore Korean fir. It is needed for the managers of the forest to install fences around the forest area. Exclosure experiments as well as enclosure experiments of different densities of browsing should be carried out. In addition, treatment with different densities of Jeju dwarf bamboo should also be included in the experiment on Mt. Hallasan National Park, Jeju Island, Korea.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance in seedling development of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) tree species on higher altitude forests of Mt. Hallasan National Park, the central part of Jeju Island, Korea

Kim¹,

Lee²,

Choi³

et al. 2017

j ecology environ

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“…Hence, their results are often contradictory and difficult to generalize. Furthermore, Hester et al (2000) pointed out that because large herbivores are integral parts of many forest ecosystems and their effects are frequently nonlinearly related to their density, studies of herbivore effects must investigate multiple herbivore densities. One study that accomplished just this is the landmark 10-year experiment investigating the effects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in large enclosures ranging in density from 3.9 to 31.2 deer km À2 in northern hardwood forests of Pennsylvania, USA (Tilghman 1989;Horsley, Stout & deCalesta 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term biological legacies of herbivore density in a landscape‐scale experiment: forest understoreys reflect past deer density treatments for at least 20 years

Nuttle¹,

2013

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Summary1. Ungulate browsers, when at high densities, are major drivers of vegetation change in forests world-wide. Their effects operate via a variety of generalizable mechanisms related to plant palatability and relative growth rate with respect to browsing pressure. 2. Though such impacts are obviously long-lasting when they determine composition of tree regeneration, we document in a unique long-term (30 year) experiment that biological legacies of initial deer density persist in the understorey herbaceous vegetation at least 20 years after deer densities were equalized. 3. We sampled understorey vegetation in former clear-cut areas where density of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was manipulated (3.9-31.2 deer km À2 ) for 10 years (1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990), and stands experienced ambient deer density (ca. 10-12 deer km À2 ) for the next 20 years to determine whether initial deer density treatments still influenced understorey vegetation in 30-year-old, closed-canopy forests. 4. Stands initially (1979-1990) exposed to higher deer densities had ca. five times higher fern cover and three times the seedling and forb cover in 2010, as well as significantly lower angiosperm species density, compared to stands initially exposed to lower deer densities. 5. These results appear driven by deer avoidance of ferns, allowing them to expand at high deer density and sequester sites for decades. 6. Synthesis. Our long-term, experimental results show unequivocally that elevated deer densities cause significant, profound legacy effects on understorey vegetation persisting at least 20 years. Of relevance regionally and globally where high deer densities have created depauperate understoreys, we expect that deer density reduction alone does not guarantee understorey recovery; stands may need to be managed by removing recalcitrant understorey layers (e.g. ferns).

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“…There has been a growing interest in understanding the cascading effects of these extinctions despite the challenge that the signature of herbivory and other species interactions is usually indirect in palaeorecords (Johnson 2009). Our understanding of megaherbivory as an ecological process is mostly based on contemporary experimental manipulations (Hester et al 2000;Asner et al 2009) or the post hoc assessment of the effects of local extirpations or management practices (Constible et al 2005;ter Beest 2006). Recently, the use of coprophilous fungi as indicators of palaeoherbivory in sedimentary archives has led to significant advances in our understanding of the ecological legacy -and consequences of the loss -of megaherbivores throughout the late Quaternary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking abundances of the dung fungus Sporormiella to the density of bison: implications for assessing grazing by megaherbivores in palaeorecords

et al. 2013

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Summary 1.Megaherbivores likely had important influences on past vegetation dynamics, just as they do in modern ecosystems. The exact nature of megaherbivores' role can be studied using a relatively new suite of palaeoecological techniques, including the quantification of fossil spores from Sporormiella and other coprophilous fungi as indicators of megafaunal biomass in sediment records. However, a quantitative linkage of spore abundance with megaherbivore biomass or grazing intensity has been lacking. 3. Both relative (per cent) and absolute (concentration) abundances of Sporormiella were significantly higher in traps inside the enclosure and were positively correlated with bison grazing intensity. The cut-off for distinguishing between bison-grazed and ungrazed traps was determined to be 2.8% Sporormiella of the total pollen and spore sum, consistent with previous palaeoecological reconstructions. The relationship between Sporormiella abundances and available grazing area around each trap was strongest at short radii (25-100 m), suggesting that spores do not disperse far from their source. Sporormiella should thus be considered a local-scale indicator of megaherbivore presence. 4.Traps in the grazed area had significantly higher percentages of Ambrosia and lower percentages of Poaceae pollen than traps from ungrazed areas. This suggests that the pollen record has the potential to detect the ecological effects of bison grazing on grassland community composition. 5.Synthesis. This study refines the use of Sporormiella as a proxy for local megaherbivore presence, especially in grassland systems. Multiproxy Sporormiella and pollen analyses may help elucidate the past drivers of grassland dynamics, including the possible role of bison in mediating grass-forb interactions during the variable moisture regimes of the last 12,000 years.

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Interactions between forests and herbivores: the role of controlled grazing experiments

Cited by 142 publications

References 45 publications

Disturbance in seedling development of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) tree species on higher altitude forests of Mt. Hallasan National Park, the central part of Jeju Island, Korea

Disturbance in seedling development of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) tree species on higher altitude forests of Mt. Hallasan National Park, the central part of Jeju Island, Korea

Long‐term biological legacies of herbivore density in a landscape‐scale experiment: forest understoreys reflect past deer density treatments for at least 20 years

Linking abundances of the dung fungus Sporormiella to the density of bison: implications for assessing grazing by megaherbivores in palaeorecords

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