Download or read book The Impacts of White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus Herbivory on the Forage Quality of Forest Vegetation written by Jonathan David Becker and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book 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 written by Karl A. Didier and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book White tailed Deer in Eastern Ecosystems written by William F. Porter and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Vegetation and Nutritional Changes Over 20 Years of White tailed Deer Exclusion written by Gabrielle Nicole Ripa and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Interactions of White tailed Deer Abundance and Environment Affect Plant Community Composition in Northern Hardwood Forests written by Autumn E. Sabo and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Managing Habitats for White tailed Deer Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming written by Carolyn Hull Sieg and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Managing Habitats for White tailed Deer in the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming written by Carolyn Hull Sieg and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Impacts of White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus on Understory Vegetation and Structure in the Hiawatha National Forest Michigan USA written by Stacie Ann Holmes and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Interactions Between White tailed Deer and Vegetation in Southern Illinois written by Ryan E. Leeson and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Download or read book Effects of Year round Supplemental Feeding of White tailed Deer on Plant Community Dynamics written by Beau Navarre and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book A Multi taxonomic Approach to Assess the Impact of Overabundant White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus in Forest Ecosystems Across Northeast Ohio written by Sara A. Laux and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book The Impact of White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus on Vegetation of Urban Forests in Eastern Nebraska written by Jacqueline I. Davenport and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus Herbivory in Northeastern Ohio Riparian Zones written by Danielle M. Mutchler and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The objective of this study was to determine white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing preferences for tree and shrub species in riparian zones of Northeastern Ohio. A total of five sites were selected along the Grand River and Pymatuning Creek in Trumbull County, and along the Cuyahoga River in Geauga County. In autumn of 2012, three to five 12 x 20 m quadrats were established in a stratified random fashion at each site, and the canopy species composition was surveyed for each quadrat. For individual tree species that had foliage accessible to white-tailed, deer the following data were recorded quantitatively and/or categorically: total available browse, type of available browse, and severity of browsing. The shrub and sapling layer was also surveyed within two randomly placed 4x4 m nested plots per 12x20 m overstory quadrat. The Jacob's Electivity Index was used to assess browsing preferences for tree and shrub species. As determined by the Jacob's Electivity Index various tree and shrub species: 1) were consistently avoided at all quadrats when present (bitternut and shagbark hickories, swamp and black ashes, black cherry, American basswood, and American elm), 2) were consistently selected in all quadrats where present (American hornbeam and black willow), or 3) varied widely in their selection by deer (silver and sugar maples). Quadrats containing sugar and, especially, silver maple with epicormic sprouts had greatest total browsing impact. Results suggest that white-tailed deer herbivory may actually reflect a Marginal Value Theorem model dictated by patches abundant in such sprouts. Further research is needed to determine potential effects of white-tailed deer in hindering the regeneration of such flood and/or beaver damaged vegetation in Northeastern Ohio riparian zones.

Download or read book Effects of White tailed Deer Herbivory on a Tallgrass Prairie Remnant written by Scott Gooch and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Direct and Indirect Effects of White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus Herbivory on Beetle and Spider Assemblages in Northern Wisconsin written by Elizabeth J. Sancomb and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: White-tailed deer directly impact vegetation structure and species composition through selective foraging, and indirectly impact other species by altering habitat, food-web interactions, and microclimate. I examined the direct effects of deer exclusion on vegetation communities, and indirect effects on beetle, spider, and web-building spider (WBS) assemblages. Forb and woody plant percent cover were higher in exclosures, while graminoid cover was higher in controls. There were no differences in beetle and spider assemblages between browsed and protected areas. The absence of differences could be attributed to legacy effects, or alternatively high vagility of individuals. WBS assemblages were more abundant and diverse in protected areas, reflecting differences in web site availability and litter depth. This suggests indirect effects of deer alter arthropod assemblages. Through selective feeding, deer act as ecosystem engineers. They are indirectly changing the WBS assemblages in this area, and may be changing beetle and spider assemblage composition.

Download or read book The Effects of Herbivory by White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus on the Survival and Distribution of Native Wildflowers written by Jack Darl Fletcher and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Effects of White tailed Deer Density on Physical Condition and Forest Vegetation in Cuyahoga Valley National Park written by Jacob J. Trowbridge and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given that overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can exert lasting negative effects in forested ecosystems, management of deer has been a foremost conservation concern in eastern North America since the last century. Although knowledge of density impacts on body mass, pregnancy rates, and forest regeneration are vital for deer management, relatively few studies have assessed these relationships in the same study area for a >5-year period. I took advantage of a managed culling program to investigate the impacts of deer density on body mass, pregnancy rates, and native forest understory and trillium (Trillium grandiflorium) regeneration at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA), Ohio, during 2016-2022. Deer densities were estimated using distance sampling in November and deer were culled by sharpshooters the following January-March. Each deer culled was aged, sexed, weighed, and inspected for fetuses (recorded as present or absent). Deer densities ranged from 8.6-18.0 deer/km2 and deer removed each study year varied between 205 and 450. Concurrently, the 1-6 tallest native seedlings per genera per subplot were measured in July-August in 25 fenced and unfenced paired plots and in long-term ecological monitoring (LTEM) plots. Browse was estimated in unfenced paired plots in alternating years. Trillium stem heights in both unfenced controls/fenced exclosures and browse in unfenced control plots were collected in April-June each year. Using a linear mixed model (LME), I analyzed change in body mass of culled deer and found a significant negative relationship with current deer density (P