Intraspecific variation in nutritional traits of neighbouring plants generates a continuum of associational effects

Champagne, Émilie; Moore, Ben D.; Côté, Steeve D.; Tremblay, Jean‐Pierre

doi:10.1111/jvs.12914

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Although the intensity of deer browsing on post oak saplings was not related to sapling species diversity in plots, higher frequencies of more‐selected species led to greater damage. Studies of other ungulates show similar associational susceptibility for less‐preferred saplings in the presence of more‐preferred neighbors (Milligan & Koricheva, 2013; Champagne et al, 2020). For example, Champagne et al (2020) found that focal firs suffered increased browsing among spruce neighbors of high nutritional value and birch shoots of high digestibility in Quebec.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Studies of other ungulates show similar associational susceptibility for less‐preferred saplings in the presence of more‐preferred neighbors (Milligan & Koricheva, 2013; Champagne et al, 2020). For example, Champagne et al (2020) found that focal firs suffered increased browsing among spruce neighbors of high nutritional value and birch shoots of high digestibility in Quebec. Associational susceptibility of less‐preferred species in the presence of more‐preferred neighbors may occur due to herbivore choice between resource patches (Bergvall et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

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Associational effects, landscape context, and plant height affect white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse selectivity in oak woodlands

Minette

Keoshkerian

Russell

2022

J Vegetation Science

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Questions: Large spatial variation in damage intensity is a pervasive, but poorly explained, feature of herbivore-plant interactions. To predict herbivore effects on plant communities, ecologists need greater understanding of the mechanisms and relative importance of processes driving variation in damage at the spatial scales of individual plant, plant community, and landscape. We ask: (1) what are the relative strengths of traits of individual plants versus landscape context in affecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing on saplings in oak woodlands; and ( 2) is browsing intensity on post oak (Quercus stellata) influenced by associational effects related to density or frequency of more-selected or less-selected species?Location: Dry oak-dominated woodlands, Kansas, USA. Methods:We sampled deer browsing on saplings in three woodlands, each containing five transects, with 21 10-m 2 plots per transect. Transects ran from woodlandgrassland edges into woodlands. In each plot, we identified saplings to species, measured variables in individual-plant (height) and landscape contexts (distance from edge and proximity to deer trails), and quantified proportion of stems browsed per sapling.Results: Browsing intensity varied greatly among the 18 tree species encountered.Browsing increased with sapling height and decreased with distance from woodland edges. The effect size of distance from edge was twice that of sapling height, although both effect sizes were small. Browsing on post oaks increased with local frequency of saplings of more-selected species. Conclusions: Our comparison of individual-plant versus landscape context variablesand our assessment of associational effects supports a substantial role for coarsescale foraging decisions in explaining browsing damage. However, sapling species identity was most influential. Associational susceptibility of a less-selected species, post oak, near more-selected neighbors is consistent with a mobile herbivore choosing between patches. The pre-eminence of frequency of more-selected species in mediating associational susceptibility may reflect decreased handling time in pure patches and/or attempts to balance nutrients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Associational effects, landscape context, and plant height affect white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse selectivity in oak woodlands

Minette

Keoshkerian

Russell

2022

J Vegetation Science

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“…With the absence of data on bark traits, it is also possible that we were not able to detect all neighbourhood effects on stripping intensity, because deer could also be responsive to neighbours’ bark nutritional quality. For instance, the detection of neighbourhood effects on deer browsing has been shown to be improved once the density of neighbouring individuals was combined with neighbours’ nutritional quality (Champagne et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These individuals, as neighbours, may perhaps possess traits, such as nutritional quality, bark thickness, the ease of bark removal, or stem branchiness (Gill, 1992; Rademacher, 2005; Verheyden et al, 2006), whose values either increase or reduce the ability or motivation of deer to strip focal individuals. Indeed, recent studies have revealed that nutritional traits and local density of neighbouring plants may even interact to produce neighbourhood effects on deer herbivory (Champagne et al, 2018, 2020). Because ontogenetic variation in defence or nutritional traits can contribute to the outcomes of herbivory (Barton & Koricheva, 2010), interactions of traits, plant biomass or life stage with the local density of plants may be, in theory, an important driver of neighbourhood effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In another scenario, a focal plant may be more utilised by herbivores if growing nearby relatively more preferred neighbouring plants (Bergman et al, 2005; Hjältén et al, 1993), which is a type of neighbourhood effect known as either a resource concentration effect when neighbouring plants are conspecific or associational susceptibility when heterospecific (Hämback et al, 2014; Otway et al, 2005). In addition to the importance of different sensory abilities of ungulate herbivores for food selection and individual host‐finding (Stutz, et al, 2017), their foraging decisions are assumed to be modified by conspecific and heterospecific neighbourhood effects owing to the relative palatability and nutritional value of the focal plant and of its neighbours (Baraza et al, 2006; Bergvall et al, 2006; Champagne et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial patterns in neighbourhood effects on woody plant selection and bark stripping by deer in a lowland alluvial forest

Holík

Janík

2022

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Ungulate herbivory and its impact on one plant species may be driven by other plants in the neighbourhood. Although such neighbourhood effects have long been recognized, there is limited understanding of how spatial variation in these effects relates to local plant density and distances between plants. Our goal was to examine if the density of or distance to conspecific and heterospecific neighbouring woody individuals produces neighbourhood effects on bark stripping by deer, and how these effects differ in spatial scale and type (reduce/increase herbivory). Location Lowland old‐growth forest, Czech Republic. Methods Woody individuals were assessed for evidence of bark stripping and the level of damage done by deer in a square 4‐ha plot, mapping all woody stems ≥1 cm diameter at breast height. The spatial distribution of stripping was used to examine neighbourhood effects using spatial point pattern methods. Results The density and distance to neighbours and species identity of focal and neighbouring individuals contributed to a large spatial variation in neighbourhood effects (up to distances of 2–30 m from neighbours). Neighbourhood effects arose mainly from the interactions between neighbouring shrub species and all tree species, and interactions between individual species pairs. Neighbourhood effects more often increased than reduced the stripping of focal individuals. The stripping of Ulmus laevis, Acer campestre and Crataegus laevigata increased near conspecifics, while the stripping of all tree species was more likely near Ulmus laevis, Fraxinus angustifolia and shrubs. Heterospecific tree species were less susceptible to stripping near Tilia cordata and especially Carpinus betulus. Conclusion Our study provides new insight into neighbourhood effects by showing how and at which spatial scales woody plant interactions modify deer herbivory. We advocate considering the life stage and relevant plant traits with multivariate spatial methods in order to elucidate the role of neighbourhood effects in complex plant communities.

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Effects of understory characteristics on browsing patterns of roe deer in central European mountain forests

Schwegmann,

Mörsdorf,

Bhardwaj

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Selective browsing by deer on young trees may impede the management goal of increasing forest resilience against climate change and other disturbances. Deer population density is often considered the main driver of browsing impacts on young trees, however, a range of other variables such as food availability also affect this relationship. In this study, we use browsing survey data from 135 research plots to explore patterns of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) browsing pressure on woody plants in mountainous forests in central Europe. We fitted species‐specific generalised linear mixed models for eight woody taxa, assessing the potential effects of understory characteristics, roe deer abundance and lying deadwood on browsing intensity. Our study reveals conspecific and associational effects for woody taxa that are intermediately browsed by roe deer. Selective browsing pressure was mediated by preferences of plants, in that, browsing of strongly preferred woody taxa as for example mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) and of least preferred woody taxa, for example Norway spruce (Picea abies) was not affected by the surrounding understory vegetation, while browsing pressure on intermediately browsed species like for example silver fir (Abies alba) was affected by understory characteristics. Contrary to our expectations, roe deer abundance was only positively associated with browsing pressure on silver fir and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), while all other plants were unaffected by deer abundance. Finally, we did not find an influence of lying deadwood volume on the browsing pressure on any woody‐plant species. Overall, our results indicate that patterns in browsing preference and intensity are species‐specific processes and are partly affected by the surrounding understory vegetation. Current management strategies that aim to reduce browsing pressure through culling may be inefficient as they do not address other drivers of browsing pressure. However, managers also need to consider the characteristics of the local understory vegetation in addition to deer abundance and design species‐specific plans to reduce browsing on woody plant taxa.

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Intraspecific variation in nutritional traits of neighbouring plants generates a continuum of associational effects

Cited by 7 publications

References 60 publications

Associational effects, landscape context, and plant height affect white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse selectivity in oak woodlands

Associational effects, landscape context, and plant height affect white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse selectivity in oak woodlands

Spatial patterns in neighbourhood effects on woody plant selection and bark stripping by deer in a lowland alluvial forest

Effects of understory characteristics on browsing patterns of roe deer in central European mountain forests

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