Create your own conference schedule! Click here for full instructions

Abstract Detail



Interactions of White-Tailed Deer and Invasive Plants in Forests of Eastern North America

Bourg, Norman [1], McShea, William [2], Stewart, Chad M. [3].

Interactive Effects of Deer Exclusion and Exotic Plant Removal on Mid-Atlantic Deciduous Forest Understory Communities.

The interactive relationships between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herbivory and exotic plant species proliferation has received little study, despite their presumed impacts on native biodiversity and natural areas in eastern North America. The extent to which these interactions affect the composition and persistence of forest understory plant communities was the subject of our study. We conducted a multi-year, 2x2 factorial field experiment in three mid-Atlantic US upland deciduous forests with high densities of deer and exotic understory plants. We predicted that: 1) only deer exclusion and exotic plant removal in tandem would yield increases in native plant species richness and abundance; and 2) deer exclusion alone would lead to decreases in exotic plant abundance over time. Plots treated with exotic plant removal that had high initial cover, solely or combined with deer exclusion, exhibited positive responses for species richness and abundance of native herbaceous plants and woody seedlings, while deer exclusion alone caused significant increases in abundance and richness of native tree species greater than 30cm in height. Species abundances in the native sapling community shifted with deer exclusion. Oak (Quercus spp.) saplings proliferated only when exotic removal and deer exclusion occurred together, whereas shade-tolerant maples (Acer spp.) showed no abundance changes across treatments. We also found significant declines in exotic species abundance in deer-excluded plots, particularly for Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum). Our study demonstrates that alien plants and deer impact different components and life history stages of the forest plant community, and control of both is needed for native forest restoration. Manual removal of alien plants combined with deer exclusion will most benefit native herbaceous species richness, while invasive removal alone will positively impact native woody seedling abundances. For larger native woody species, only deer exclusion is needed to increase richness and abundance. Deer exclusion directly facilitated declines in invasive species abundance. Resource managers should address both factors to achieve their forest management goals.


Log in to add this item to your schedule

1 - U.S. Geological Survey, National Research Program - Eastern Branch, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 430, Reston, VA, 20192, USA
2 - Smithsonian, Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
3 - Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 553 E. Miller Street, Bloomington, IN, 47401, USA

Keywords:
white-tailed deer
ungulates
temperate forest
Herbivory
invasive plants
forest management
species richness.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C1, Interactions of white-tailed deer and invasive plants in forests of eastern North America
Location: Chatham Ballroom - C/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 4:00 PM
Number: C1009
Abstract ID:157
Candidate for Awards:None


Copyright © 2000-2016, Botanical Society of America. All rights reserved