Large-scale trophic interactions: White-tailed deer growth and forest understory

Boucher, Stéphanie; Crête, Michel; Ouellet, Jean‐Pierre; Daigle, Claude; Lesage, Louis

doi:10.1080/11956860.2004.11682835

Cited by 32 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Is the increase in graminoids and ferns a general trend? Grasses and/or sedges have increased in British woodlands (Putman et al 1989;Kirby and Thomas 2000;Kirby 2001), Allegheny Plateau forests (Horsley et al 2003), North American mixed-conifer and boreal forests (Boucher et al 2004;Wiegmann and Waller 2006;Tremblay et al 2006), and temperate rainforests (Woodward et al 1994). Ferns and/or Lycopods also appear to increase in several of these same areas, particularly in the mixedconifer forests of the Allegheny Plateaus (Tilghman 1989;Rooney and Dress 1997;Horsley et al 2003;Carson et al 2005), northeastern United States coastal forest (de la Cretaz and Kelty 2002), and Great Lakes forest (Wiegmann and Waller 2006) in North America.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Throughout much of eastern North America, whitetailed deer populations attain and persist at high densities (Côté et al 2004). In many of these areas, deer herbivory is a dominant factor shaping the dynamics of plant populations and communities, modifying patterns of relative abundance through selective foraging (Horsley et al 2003;Boucher et al 2004;Côté et al 2004;Stockton et al 2005). Because deer are a source of new plants via seed dispersal (Myers et al 2004), can depress or eliminate palatable species (Potvin et al 2003;Stockton et al 2005;Webster et al 2005), and favor the population growth of browse-tolerant and unpalatable species (Augustine and McNaughton 1998), they have the potential to drive the process of biotic homogenization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High white-tailed deer densities benefit graminoids and contribute to biotic homogenization of forest ground-layer vegetation

2008

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Biotic homogenization, with its emphasis on invasions, extinctions, and convergence in taxonomic similarity, provides an important framework for investigating changes in biodiversity across scales. Through their selective foraging, large populations of white-tailed deer are altering population sizes, driving extirpations, and facilitating invasions of plants throughout the eastern United States. I hypothesize that deer can drive biotic homogenization in forest understory communities by shifting species composition to one dominated by grasses, sedges, and ferns (all wind-pollinated plants). I report the effects of 16 years of deer exclusion in a hemlock-northern hardwood stand in N Wisconsin using a block design. Species composition showed greater convergence in control plots than exclosure plots, indicating deer can drive biotic homogenization at the stand level. Total percent cover is nearly 4 times greater in exclosure plots. Percent cover by woody plants, broadleaf herbs, and ferns is 150, 63, and 20 times greater in exclosure plots, respectively, while cover by sedges and grasses is 3.8 and 2.2 times greater in control plots. Cover by species with showy, insect-pollinated flowers is 79 times greater in exclosures. Graminoid-dominated control plots represent a novel state not observed fifty years ago, and could reflect the emergence of a grazing lawn. The increase in graminoids at this study area and throughout the region could under some global change scenarios be an early stage of conversion from forest to savanna or wood pasture.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High white-tailed deer densities benefit graminoids and contribute to biotic homogenization of forest ground-layer vegetation

2008

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“…Furthermore, size is often thought to be positively correlated with density, because large size confers a competitive advantage within species (Melton 1982). However, low density may actually allow individuals access to more resources, and body size is sometimes negatively correlated with density (Boucher et al 2004;Fiori & Defeo 2006). If peripheral populations inhabit areas where competitors are absent, then small guild members may increase in size and exploit the niche of a missing larger competitor (McNab 1971), whereas large species may decrease in size (Dayan & Simberloff 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life on the edge: carnivore body size variation is all over the place

et al. 2009

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Evolutionary biologists have long been fascinated by both the ways in which species respond to ecological conditions at the edges of their geographic ranges and the way that species' body sizes evolve across their ranges. Surprisingly, though, the relationship between these two phenomena is rarely studied. Here, we examine whether carnivore body size changes from the interior of their geographic range towards the range edges. We find that within species, body size often varies strongly with distance from the range edge. However, there is no general tendency across species for size to be either larger or smaller towards the edge. There is some evidence that the smallest guild members increase in size towards their range edges, but results for the largest guild members are equivocal. Whether individuals vary in relation to the distance from the range edges often depends on the way edge and interior are defined. Neither geographic range size nor absolute body size influences the tendency of size to vary with distance from the range edge. Therefore, we suggest that the frequent significant association between body size and the position of individuals along the edge-core continuum reflects the prevalence of geographic size variation and that the distance to range edge per se does not influence size evolution in a consistent way.

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“…The actual methods employed are as varied as the species observed, ranging from direct counts of the animals themselves (Marsh et al 2005) to more integrated studies of changes in habitat (Boucher et al 2004, Plante et al 2004). The immediate advantage of aerial studies is the ability to gather data over a vast geographical range that would have been impossible using more traditional ground level techniques alone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a simple, rapid method for identifying and monitoring jellyfish aggregations from the air

Houghton

Doyle²,

Davenport³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Within the marine environment, aerial surveys have historically centred on apex predators, such as pinnipeds, cetaceans and sea birds. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the utility of this technique may also extend to subsurface species such as pre-spawning fish stocks and aggregations of jellyfish that occur close to the surface. In light of this, we tested the utility of aerial surveys to provide baseline data for 3 poorly understood scyphozoan jellyfish found throughout British and Irish waters: Rhizostoma octopus, Cyanea capillata and Chrysaora hysoscella. Our principal objectives were to develop a simple sampling protocol to identify and quantify surface aggregations, assess their consistency in space and time, and consider the overall applicability of this technique to the study of gelatinous zooplankton. This approach provided a general understanding of range and relative abundance for each target species, with greatest suitability to the study of R. octopus. For this species it was possible to identify and monitor extensive, temporally consistent and previously undocumented aggregations throughout the Irish Sea, an area spanning thousands of square kilometres. This finding has pronounced implications for ecologists and fisheries managers alike and, moreover, draws attention to the broad utility of aerial surveys for the study of gelatinous aggregations beyond the range of conventional ship-based techniques. KEY WORDS: Aerial surveys · Gelatinous zooplankton · Jellyfish blooms · Scyphozoan · Rhizostoma octopus · Irish SeaResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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Large-scale trophic interactions: White-tailed deer growth and forest understory

Cited by 32 publications

References 42 publications

High white-tailed deer densities benefit graminoids and contribute to biotic homogenization of forest ground-layer vegetation

High white-tailed deer densities benefit graminoids and contribute to biotic homogenization of forest ground-layer vegetation

Life on the edge: carnivore body size variation is all over the place

Developing a simple, rapid method for identifying and monitoring jellyfish aggregations from the air

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