Abstract
Acidic deposition and subsequent forest soil acidification and nutrient depletion can affect negatively the growth, health and nutrient content of vegetation, potentially limiting the availability and nutrient content of forage for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other forest herbivores. Liming is a mitigation technique that can be used to restore forest health in acidified areas, but little is known about how it affects the growth or nutrient content of deer forage. We examined the effects of dolomitic limestone application on the growth and chemical composition of understory plants in an acidified forest in central Pennsylvania, with a focus on vegetative groups included as white-tailed deer forage. We used a Before-After-Control-Impact study design with observations 1 year before liming and up to 5 years post-liming on 2 treated and 2 untreated 100-ha sites. Before liming, forage availability and several nutrients were below levels considered optimal for white-tailed deer, and many vegetative characteristics were related to soil chemistry. We observed a positive effect of liming on forb biomass, with a 2.7 fold increase on limed sites, but no biomass response in other vegetation groups. We observed positive effects of liming on calcium and magnesium content and negative effects on aluminum and manganese content of several plant groups. Responses to liming by forbs and plant nutrients show promise for improving vegetation health and forage quality and quantity for deer.
Highlights
Soil nutrient availability and related forage quality are known correlates of diet, health and morphometrics of many cervid species [1,2,3,4,5]
Many characteristics of the study area indicate that the forest habitat is being impacted by the extremely acidic soil conditions, including low abundances of snails, low abundances of many common forest songbird species, reduced Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) clutch sizes, very little regeneration of most tree species, and dominance of the understory in hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), and mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) [35,38]
As a group, preferred forage vegetation biomass was positively related to soil pH, calcium and magnesium (Fig. 1)
Summary
Soil nutrient availability and related forage quality are known correlates of diet, health and morphometrics of many cervid species [1,2,3,4,5]. Forest soil conditions in the northeastern United States, and many areas around the world, have become increasingly acidic and depleted of base cation nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium as a result of acidic deposition, forest harvesting, forest growth and maturation, and land use patterns [8,9,10,11] These changes in soil conditions are affecting critical components of cervid habitat suitability, including forest vegetation health, forage availability and species composition, and nutrient content [12,13,14], yet very little is known how changes in soil conditions might affect cervids and the quality and quantity of their forage. Changes in soil conditions can change phosphorus availability, which can be a limiting nutrient in ungulate herbivores [17,19], and crude protein content of forage, a well-known correlate to deer morphometrics, can differ among soil regions [20]
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