The Impacts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory on the Forage Quality of Forest Vegetation

The Impacts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory on the Forage Quality of Forest Vegetation PDF Author: Jonathan David Becker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conservation plants
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are abundant across North America. Deer impact ecosystems, both directly and indirectly. These impacts are driven by the foraging preferences of deer. The energy, protein, mineral, fiber, and secondary metabolite content of plants are important factors that inform the selective herbivory of deer. I examined the interactions between forage quality and deer impacts in northern Wisconsin using deer exclosures. I examined the forage quality of four focal species (Acer saccharum, Maianthemum canadense, Dryopteris intermedia and Carex pensylvanica) in both control and exclosure plots. Forage quality parameters measured were energy, protein, ash, phosphorus, silica, fiber, and saponins. I found that deer herbivory did not uniformly decrease the forage quality within individual species. This study provides preliminary support for a predicted increase in low forage quality plants in response to heavy deer herbivory. Further research is necessary to support this trend, including a focus on defensive secondary metabolites.

The Impacts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory on the Forage Quality of Forest Vegetation

The Impacts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory on the Forage Quality of Forest Vegetation PDF Author: Jonathan David Becker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conservation plants
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are abundant across North America. Deer impact ecosystems, both directly and indirectly. These impacts are driven by the foraging preferences of deer. The energy, protein, mineral, fiber, and secondary metabolite content of plants are important factors that inform the selective herbivory of deer. I examined the interactions between forage quality and deer impacts in northern Wisconsin using deer exclosures. I examined the forage quality of four focal species (Acer saccharum, Maianthemum canadense, Dryopteris intermedia and Carex pensylvanica) in both control and exclosure plots. Forage quality parameters measured were energy, protein, ash, phosphorus, silica, fiber, and saponins. I found that deer herbivory did not uniformly decrease the forage quality within individual species. This study provides preliminary support for a predicted increase in low forage quality plants in response to heavy deer herbivory. Further research is necessary to support this trend, including a focus on defensive secondary metabolites.

Impact of Disturbance and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory on Plant Community and Nutrient Dynamics in Northern Hardwood Forests of Northern New York State

Impact of Disturbance and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Herbivory on Plant Community and Nutrient Dynamics in Northern Hardwood Forests of Northern New York State PDF Author: Karl A. Didier
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecological disturbances
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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White-tailed Deer in Eastern Ecosystems

White-tailed Deer in Eastern Ecosystems PDF Author: William F. Porter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biotic communities
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Vegetation and Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years of White-tailed Deer Exclusion

Vegetation and Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years of White-tailed Deer Exclusion PDF Author: Gabrielle Nicole Ripa
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Knowledge of the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) as dominant herbivores throughout the Southeastern United States of America is lacking. To address this, three paired experimental units of exclosures and controls were constructed in 2000 on three Wildlife Management Areas across Mississippi within the ecoregions of the Upper Coastal Plain, Lower Coastal Plain, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Vegetation was sampled in the summers of 2000, 2005, and 2021 including vegetation structure, canopy coverage, basal area, and species composition. Additionally, in 2005 and 2021, biomass was sampled to determine potential impacts on nutritional carrying capacity. Among the three study sites, vegetation metrics followed successional trends and were not influenced by herbivory or lack thereof. Additionally, regional differences in nutritional carrying capacity seemed to be of greater importance than herbivory. This research illustrates the difference in effects of deer by region and forest type.

Interactions of White-tailed Deer Abundance and Environment Affect Plant Community Composition in Northern Hardwood Forests

Interactions of White-tailed Deer Abundance and Environment Affect Plant Community Composition in Northern Hardwood Forests PDF 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.

Managing Habitats for White-tailed Deer : Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming

Managing Habitats for White-tailed Deer : Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming PDF Author: Carolyn Hull Sieg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Managing Habitats for White-tailed Deer in the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming

Managing Habitats for White-tailed Deer in the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming PDF Author: Carolyn Hull Sieg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : White-tailed deer
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Impacts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) on Understory Vegetation and Structure in the Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan, USA

Impacts of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) on Understory Vegetation and Structure in the Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan, USA PDF Author: Stacie Ann Holmes
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest surveys
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Interactions Between White-tailed Deer and Vegetation in Southern Illinois

Interactions Between White-tailed Deer and Vegetation in Southern Illinois PDF Author: Ryan E. Leeson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Deer
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have considerable impacts on woody and herbaceous vegetation. Many oak-hickory forests in the eastern U.S. are experiencing a lack of oak (Quercus) and hickory (Carya) regeneration, with deer being a likely culprit. Furthermore, few have studied deer use of different herbaceous food plot mixtures. I addressed these gaps in the literature by assessing deer impacts on forest and herbaceous vegetation in southern Illinois. I established 150 paired plots (enclosed and control) in June 2015 and measured 25 habitat variables to assess impacts of deer herbivory from August 2015 to August 2016. Oak seedlings were present more often and in higher numbers within enclosed plots (F1,299 = 6.25, P 0.050 and F1,387 = 4.50, P 0.050, respectively). There were no differences in the height of oak seedlings or the presence, number, or height of hickory seedlings in enclosed versus control plots (F1,53 = 0.010, P = 0.938; F1,299 = 0.850, P = 0.357; F1,267 = 1.16, P = 0.282; and F1,15 = 0.030, P = 0.855; respectively). During September-November 2015, I counted and marked fallen acorns within 50 random paired plots; the number of acorns discovered or lost did not differ between enclosed and control plots (F1,94 = 0.310, P = 0.578 and F1,8 = 0.120, P = 0.736, respectively). I suggest managers incorporate potential deer impacts when designing management plans to best encourage oak regeneration. During September-November 2015, I established 16 food plots (half tilled; each 0.05 ha in size), planted to 4 food plot types. I compared Big Tine Buck Brunch, Evolved Harvest Throw & Gro, Antler King No Sweat, and a food plot mixture that I created. I measured deer use via 2 methods: vegetation growth in exclosures versus control (i.e., unfenced) areas and camera traps. Deer used all 4 food plot mixtures (n = 292 - 2,522 pictures/plot over 9 weeks), having a negative impact on mean vegetation height outside of exclosures (F3,1148 = 6.71, P

Effects of Year-round Supplemental Feeding of White-tailed Deer on Plant Community Dynamics

Effects of Year-round Supplemental Feeding of White-tailed Deer on Plant Community Dynamics PDF Author: Beau Navarre
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Supplemental feeding is commonly practiced to enhance available nutrition for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The effects of supplemental feeding on the surrounding vegetative community may be related to herbivory, trampling, and seed dispersal. I evaluated how these potential mechanisms affect vegetative communities using a matched-pair design (fed and ecologically equivalent unfed sites) during 2018-2020. In a short-term manipulative portion of the study, I sampled the vegetation prior to feeding and during two years of feeding. In a long-term retrospective study, I sampled feeders established 5-7 years previously. Feeders increased daily detection rate of deer and seed dispersing non-target wildlife, percentage of browsed plants, bare ground, and seed deposition. Plant communities diverged increasingly more from year 1 through years 5-7. Supplemental feeding directly affects local understory plant communities due to increased herbivory and trampling, while seed dispersal by non-target wildlife and increased bare ground may facilitate invasion of non-desirable plant species.