The short-term germination and establishment success of deer-dispersed seeds in mesic temperate forests1

Abstract

Abstract White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Zimmerman 1780) are known to disperse seeds through endozoochory, but the fates of these seeds are largely unknown. In both field and greenhouse studies, we examined the importance of fecal pellet decay to seed germination success and compared natural plant communities in microsites with and without deer pellets to determine the effects of deer endozoochory on short-term plant species composition. Pellets were collected in Delaware County, Ohio. After cold stratification, pellets were either crumbled or planted intact in the greenhouse to estimate numbers and species of viable seed present. These plantings produced germinants of 40+ taxa, 48% of which are non-native. Significantly more individuals germinated from crumbled than from intact pellets (P < 0.001), suggesting that pellet decay is crucial for germination success. In the field, feces deposited in the fall and spring decayed at rates that would allow seeds to escape the pellets in time for spring...