The Effect of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) on Understory Vegetation Diversity in the Knobs Region of Kentucky PDF Download
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Author: John Bryan Lewis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Understory plants
Languages : en
Pages : 104
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Author: John Bryan Lewis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Understory plants
Languages : en
Pages : 104
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Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Wildlife conservation
Languages : en
Pages : 606
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Author: Kristine Averill
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Plant communities are shaped by a variety of interacting factors including geographic constraints, abiotic, and biotic factors. The research contained herein investigated how these factors interact to influence exotic plant invasions. In the Northeastern United States, the highly abundant native white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimm.), and landscape fragmentation are known to facilitate plant invasion independently. At the same time, biologically diverse native plant communities are broadly expected to limit invasion. In this work, primary producer-consumer interactions, plot-level native diversity, and surrounding landscape configuration were investigated to assess their association with exotic plant invasion across the region. Using floristic composition data from 24 deer exclusion research sites distributed across the Northeastern US, the effect of deer on exotic versus native plants was investigated at species and community levels. Results indicated that deer facilitate the abundance of some exotic plant species, but inhibit the presence and abundance of many natives. While deer did not alter absolute exotic plant richness or abundance, they increased the degree of plant invasion due to strong declines in native plant abundance. Deer altered species composition and lowered native plant richness and abundance, causing an overall reduction in Shannon diversity (H'). To understand why some exotic species increased and others decreased in response to deer across the region controlled multiple-choice deer preference trials were conducted. Using captive deer, relative preferences for eight invasive exotic plants and seven native plants that are currently widespread and occur frequently in the region were determined in spring, summer, and autumn. Even though deer consumed more native plant biomass overall, preferences varied strongly at the level of species. This suggests that deer facilitate the invasion of exotic plants that are relatively unpalatable due to preferential selection of palatable plants. Last, the relative importance of site-level white-tailed deer density, multiple landscape fragmentation metrics, and plot-level native plant diversity were tested for their roles in explaining plant invasion patterns in forest understory communities. The same pooled, floristic community data from 24 sites in the Northeastern US was analyzed using a series of nonparametric and parametric, multivariate and univariate statistics to illustrate the effects of multiple factors and their interactions on several measures of plant invasion. Deer, landscape structure and composition, and native species richness all affected patterns of exotic plant invasion. Results showed that deer density was highly correlated to landscape structure and that, as deer density increased, the percentage of exotic plant species also increased. Generally, landscape fragmentation was positively correlated with plant invasion. However, several interactions among deer presence, native plant diversity, and landscape attributes were identified. Exotic plant richness increased with native plant richness, but some evidence was found for native plant diversity limiting the degree of invasion in non-fragmented landscapes. Overall, to more fully understand the factors that influence plant invasion, the context of deer abundance, surrounding landscape structure and composition, and native plant species diversity must be considered.
Author: Stacie Ann Holmes
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest surveys
Languages : en
Pages : 43
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Author: Sara A. Laux
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 129
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Abstract: Browsing by white-tailed deer has alters plant species diversity of the forest understory across much of North America. A reduced understory may lead to the simplification of the forest-floor microhabitat, causing broad scale shifts in the community composition and abundance of litter-dwelling arthropods and small mammals. The objectives of this study were to 1) document changes in the forest-floor microhabitat as a result of over-browsing by deer and 2) determine if differential browsing pressures indirectly affect faunal biodiversity (litter-dwelling arthropods and small mammals) of forest ecosystems. I predicted that browsing within the understory will reduce structural complexity of the forest-floor microhabitat, and its dependent community. A combination of comparative (high vs. low deer impact) and exclosure studies were used to document the effects of herbivory on forest ecosystems. Fewer seedlings and less herbaceous and canopy cover occurred in areas outside exclosures and in areas heavily impacted by deer in contrast to those impacted less, and as percent herbaceous cover correlated strongly with leaf litter biomass and depth, browsing reduces structural complexity of the forest-floor microhabitat. More mesofauna, Coleoptera and Araneae, were present inside than outside deer exclosures. Non-native species (i.e., centipedes, gastropods, isopods and millipedes) were more abundant in areas of high deer impact compared to areas of lower impact. No differences in small mammal abundance were detected in response to the indirect effects of browsing; however, areas of low impact were more speciose and supported significantly more insectivorous small mammals (Soricidae). Soricids require moist habitats with adequate cover and ample invertebrate prey. Capture rates of the Masked Shrew, Sorex cinereus, were positively correlated with litter depth and invertebrate abundance of the preceding year. These findings suggest that even where total soricid and arthropod abundance did not vary in response to differential levels of deer impacts, simplification of the forest-floor microhabitat can reduce diversity and species composition of litter-dwelling animals. Deer may also facilitate the invasion of non-native species and alter trophic cascades within the forest-floor ecosystem.
Author: Mariah Slaughter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biology
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
The prolonged overabundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) throughout the deciduous forests of eastern North America has resulted in widespread changes in the understory community. Studies have demonstrated that the exclusion of deer can allow some aspects of the understory to recover, but there are strong time-lags for deer-preferred species. Additionally, these exclosures only test the presence/absence of deer, which is not a feasible management option or desirable as deer are a part of the community. Here I evaluate how large-scale deer density manipulations within the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative of Pennsylvania affected understory vegetation communities. Using data from six periodic intensive vegetation surveys I assessed multiple measures of understory response, from both woody and non-woody components of the understory, including potential time-lags in recovery. Most measures I used showed some recovery while deer densities were reduced, and negative responses to increasing deer density. Often recovery responses showed varied degrees of time-lag. Overall, these findings suggest that large-scale manipulations in deer density are a viable management plan to promote community recovery following long-term deer overabundance. However, the recovery process can quickly be reversed if deer density rises, so consistent management policies are required to see long-term change.
Author: Timothy M. Kelley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 124
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Author: William F. Porter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biotic communities
Languages : en
Pages : 72
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Author: Brian L. Cypher
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : White-tailed deer
Languages : en
Pages : 66
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Author: Autumn E. Sabo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Ungulates are widely regarded as keystone herbivores and ecosystem engineers in ecosystems around the world. In forests of eastern North America, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can directly affect the presence, abundance, and reproductive success of many plant species via herbivory. Moreover, the direct effects of herbivory, along with the impacts of associated deer activities, may perturb the forest understory environment by altering the availability of understory light and soil resources. I used deer exclosures and motion-sensitive video cameras to explore the consequences of differing population densities of deer on understory environmental conditions, community composition, and interactions between deer, the environment and vegetation. I focused on several deer-mediated environmental factors including sapling abundance, light availability, soil compaction and thickness of the soil E horizon, in addition to other site characteristics including overstory cover and soil texture and chemistry. My three projects included a total of nine study sites that were scattered across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, primarily in northern hardwood forests dominated by Acer saccharum. Across my study areas, herbivory was concentrated on woody regeneration within easy reach of deer. Environmental modifications wrought by deer browsing, such as higher light availability, soil compaction and thickness of the soil E horizon layer, affected the richness and abundance of native tree seedlings, shrubs and herbs, often in species-specific manners, and encouraged invasion by exotic species. Thus, I suggest a reexamination of the common assumption that understory community shifts in response to changes in deer abundance stem primarily from tissue removal and encourage further investigation of indirect mechanisms mediated by deer. Direct and indirect effects of abundant deer appeared to act in concert to diminish the efficacy of environmental variation to drive community heterogeneity, or the realized niche. With reduced deer abundance, particularly where overstory basal area was low, tree species richness increased. Such results provide evidence that silvicultural treatments like gap creation, in conjunction with deer control, can help reverse biotic homogenization of forest communities.
