Abstract
Background: The abundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the eastern United States has escalated during the twentieth century, potentially impacting plant communities.Methods: We measured understorey plant cover and biomass five years after excluding deer from mature forests of three ecological regions in Mississippi, USA. We extended the significance of P values to 0.10 to detect developing impacts.Results: Deer impacts were limited and varied by ecological region. We recorded 151 species in cover transects. Consistent exclosure treatment effects were detected in two regions where there was greater cover of two deer forages and less cover of three non-forages. Species richness was greater in exclosures in one region, but otherwise species richness and diversity indices did not differ. We recorded 127 species in biomass quadrats. Exclosure treatment effects on biomass were inconsistent. Out of five species with significant differences, three had more biomass in controls, including two deer forages. Except for greater total biomass in controls of one region, there were no differences by growth form or total vegetation for canopy coverage or biomass. Ordination of community canopy cover demonstrated similarity of paired exclosure and controls.Conclusions: Exclosure treatment effects on canopy cover and species richness in two regions indicated limited negative impacts from deer foraging. A time frame of more than five years may be required for exclusion to allow recovery of vegetation, even with relatively open canopies and a long growing season.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.