Ungulates in temperate forest ecosystems

Kuiters, A.T.; Mohren, G.M.J.; Wieren, S.E. van

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(96)03876-5

Cited by 80 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Successful natural regeneration of oak stands is suppressed by ruminant ungulates, such as roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus), that can cause significant damage to stand regeneration by retarding tree growth (Kuiters et al 1996, Bokdam & Gleichman 2000 or preventing seed emergence. However, the population of free living ruminants in the Czech Republic is relatively stable over time, while the abundance of wild boar (Sus scrofa) has been recently increasing (Massei et al 2011), leading to an extended consumption of acorns and a consequent reduction of the natural regeneration of oak stands (Focardi et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of seed predation and browsing on natural sessile oak regeneration under different light conditions in an over-aged coppice stand

Kamler¹,

Dobrovolný²,

Drimaj³

et al. 2016

iForest

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(1) Sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) is one of the most important commercial species cultivated at low altitudes in the Czech Republic, and overaged coppices are a significant part of oak stands in the region. In order to secure a high-valuable timber production (e.g., through conversion of such stands into coppices-with-standards), knowledge of the potential and limits of generative regeneration is essential. This study was conducted in three oakdominated over-aged coppice stands in different stages of conversion into coppices-with-standards and characterized by different basal area (BA, from 9.3 to 14.1 m 2 ha -1 ) and relative diffuse radiation (ISF, from 12.1 to 35.5%). The study stands were compared with respect to seed predation following acorn fall and oak regeneration parameters. At the time of their fall the acorns represented a sought-after source of food for large mammals (particularly wild boar). At the end of acorn fall, 13-67% acorns were lost due to animal predation. A control evaluation conducted the following spring revealed a decrease of 92-97% in fallen acorns. Despite the major animal impact, a high reserve of acorns and saplings remained in the stands (4 600-29 000 acorns and 66 000-310 000 saplings per ha). With increasing light intensity the oak regeneration density decreased, while the height and age variability of oak regeneration increased. Although saplings were capable of surviving several years under unfavorable light conditions (even below 12% ISF), they require a minimum of 20% ISF (i.e., BA < 16 m 2 ha -1 ) to achieve sustainable height increment. Based on our results, for conversion of such stands into coppices-with-standards we recommend a maximum of 200 reserved trees (BA = 16 m 2 ha -1 ) to achieve successful height growth of the understorey.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of seed predation and browsing on natural sessile oak regeneration under different light conditions in an over-aged coppice stand

Kamler¹,

Dobrovolný²,

Drimaj³

et al. 2016

iForest

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“…Nowadays, roe deer populations occur at high densities throughout northwestern Europe and have increasing impacts on the forest ecosystems (Gill 1990;Kuiters et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The oak browsing index correlates linearly with roe deer density: a new indicator for deer management?

et al. 2011

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Increasing populations of large herbivores during the last decades have had a major impact on vegetation.While several studies have looked for quantifying this impact in terms of plant biomass, plant survival or financial costs, the potential benefit of using the response of the vegetation to changes in browsing pressure by large herbivores to monitor their populations has been poorly investigated. As getting accurate estimates of density in populations of large herbivores is problematic, the use of indicators measuring the intensity of browsing might offer reliable alternative to managers. From the intensive monitoring of a roe deer population subject to an experimental manipulation of density, we looked for assessing the response of oak to changes of roe deer population size. Using a simple browsing index calculated from field data over 10 years, we found that this oak browsing index linearly increased with increasing population size of roe deer. This suggests that such an oak browsing index might be a reliable "indicator of ecological change" for monitoring roe deer populations in oak forests with natural regeneration.

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“…The relationships between native ungulates and the forests where they occur are well documented, especially in the temperate forests of the northern hemisphere (Gill 1992a, b;Kuiters et al 1996;Weisberg and Bugmann 2003). High ungulate densities may show a negative relationship with diversity (through reduction in the number of sensible species ;Putman 1996), whereas lower ungulate densities may result in a positive relationship with this parameter (preventing competitive exclusion; Kuiters et al 1996;Royo and Carson 2005).…”

Section: Native Ungulatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High ungulate densities may show a negative relationship with diversity (through reduction in the number of sensible species ;Putman 1996), whereas lower ungulate densities may result in a positive relationship with this parameter (preventing competitive exclusion; Kuiters et al 1996;Royo and Carson 2005). Therefore, results most commonly found in studies about the impact of ungulates on forest species show divergences and are sometimes conflicting (Reimoser and Gossow 1996).…”

Section: Native Ungulatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short- and long-term impacts of an introduced large herbivore (Buffalo, Bubalus bubalis L.) on a neotropical seasonal forest

2011

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Herbivory of large mammals is a key factor influencing plant communities, with effects on plant growth, survival and reproduction. These effects may be more pronounced when the herbivores are exotic ungulates. We evaluated the impacts of buffaloes (density of 1 individual per hectare) on sapling and shrub assemblages in a semideciduous seasonal forest in southern Brazil. We also investigated whether these impacts could affect the longterm maintenance of forest communities. To address these points, we used two distinct approaches in fragments of seasonal forests located in buffalo farms: firstly, by establishing a buffalo-exclusion experiment (over 14 months), and secondly, by comparing areas with three different histories of buffalo occurrence (protected from buffalo encroachment for 3 and 10 years and freely accessed by buffalo). In both approaches, we evaluated the following ecological attributes: plant cover, richness, diversity (Shannon index), biomass and average height. The results of the exclusion experiment did not indicate any significant effect of buffalo exclusion for the evaluated ecological attributes. On the other hand, species composition differed between communities when comparing buffalo presence versus 10 years of buffalo exclusion. Moreover, richness increased and average height decreased after this 10-year period. We also detected an increase in diversity and a retraction of soil compaction, after 10 years of exclusion. We conclude that forest patches do not show short-term responses to buffalo removal. Nevertheless, in the longterm absence of large herbivores, the forest tends to develop in complexity by increasing in species richness.

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Ungulates in temperate forest ecosystems

Cited by 80 publications

References 6 publications

The impact of seed predation and browsing on natural sessile oak regeneration under different light conditions in an over-aged coppice stand

The impact of seed predation and browsing on natural sessile oak regeneration under different light conditions in an over-aged coppice stand

The oak browsing index correlates linearly with roe deer density: a new indicator for deer management?

Short- and long-term impacts of an introduced large herbivore (Buffalo, Bubalus bubalis L.) on a neotropical seasonal forest

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