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Hanberry BB, Faison EK. Re-framing deer herbivory as a natural disturbance regime with ecological and socioeconomic outcomes in the eastern United States. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 868:161669. [PMID: 36681343 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Natural disturbances are critical ecosystem processes, with both ecological and socioeconomic benefits and disadvantages. Large herbivores are natural disturbances that have removed plant biomass for millions of years, although herbivore influence likely has declined during the past thousands of years corresponding with extinctions and declines in distributions and abundances of most animal species. Nonetheless, the conventional view, particularly in eastern North America, is that herbivory by large wild herbivores is at unprecedented levels, resulting in unnatural damage to forests. Here, we propose consideration of large herbivores as a natural disturbance that also imparts many crucial ecological advantages, using white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), the only wild large herbivore remaining throughout the eastern U.S., as our focal species. We examined evidence of detrimental effects of browsing on trees and forbs. We then considered that deer contribute to both fuel reduction and ecological restoration of herbaceous plants and historical open forests of savannas and woodlands by controlling tree and shrub densities, mimicking the consumer role of fire. Similarly to other disturbances, deer disturbance 'regimes' are uneven in severity across different ecosystems and landscapes, resulting in heterogeneity and diversity. In addition to biodiversity support and fuel reduction, socioeconomic benefits include >$20 billion dollars per year by 10 million hunters that support jobs and wildlife agencies, non-consumptive enjoyment of nature by 80 million people, cultural importance, and deer as ecological ambassadors, whereas costs include about $5 billion and up to 450 human deaths per year for motor vehicle accidents, along with crop damage and disease transmission. From a perspective of historical ecology rather than current baselines, deer impart a fundamental disturbance process with many ecological benefits and a range of socioeconomic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice B Hanberry
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Rapid City, SD 57702, United States of America.
| | - Edward K Faison
- Highstead, PO Box 1097, Redding, CT 06875, United States of America
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Man M, Wild J, Macek M, Kopecký M. Can high-resolution topography and forest canopy structure substitute microclimate measurements? Bryophytes say no. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:153377. [PMID: 35077798 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Increasingly available high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) facilitate the use of fine-scale topographic variables as proxies for microclimatic effects not captured by the coarse-grained macroclimate datasets. Species distributions and community assembly rules are, however directly shaped by microclimate and not by topography. DEM-derived topography, sometimes combined with vegetation structure, is thus widely used as a proxy for microclimatic effects in ecological research and conservation applications. However, the suitability of such a strategy has not been evaluated against in situ measured microclimate and species composition. Because bryophytes are highly sensitive to microclimate, they are ideal model organisms for such evaluation. To provide this much needed evaluation, we simultaneously recorded bryophyte species composition, microclimate, and forest vegetation structure at 218 sampling sites distributed across topographically complex sandstone landscape. Using a LiDAR-based DEM with a 1 m resolution, we calculated eleven topographic variables serving as a topographic proxy for microclimate. To characterize vegetation structure, we used hemispherical photographs and LiDAR canopy height models. Finally, we calculated eleven microclimatic variables from a continuous two-year time- series of air and soil temperature and soil moisture. To evaluate topography and vegetation structure as substitutes for the ecological effect of measured microclimate, we partitioned the variation in bryophyte species composition and richness explained by microclimate, topography, and vegetation structure. In situ measured microclimate was clearly the most important driver of bryophyte assemblages in temperate coniferous forests. The most bryophyte-relevant variables were growing degree days, maximum air temperature, and mean soil moisture. Our results thus showed that topographic variables, even when derived from high-resolution LiDAR data and combined with in situ sampled vegetation structure, cannot fully substitute effects of in situ measured microclimate on forest bryophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matěj Man
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic; Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Wild
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21 Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Macek
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Kopecký
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21 Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic.
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Chevaux L, Mårell A, Baltzinger C, Boulanger V, Cadet S, Chevalier R, Debaive N, Dumas Y, Gosselin M, Gosselin F, Rocquencourt A, Paillet Y. Effects of stand structure and ungulates on understory vegetation in managed and unmanaged forests. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2531. [PMID: 35019181 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Conventional conservation policies in Europe notably rely on the passive restoration of natural forest dynamics by setting aside forest areas to preserve forest biodiversity. However, since forest reserves cover only a small proportion of the territory, conservation policies also require complementary conservation efforts in managed forests in order to achieve the biodiversity targets set up in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Conservation measures also raise the question of large herbivore management in and around set-asides, particularly regarding their impact on understory vegetation. Although many studies have separately analyzed the effects of forest management, management abandonment, and ungulate pressure on forest biodiversity, their joint effects have rarely been studied in a correlative framework. We studied 212 plots located in 15 strict forest reserves paired with adjacent managed forests in European France. We applied structural equation models to test the effects of management abandonment, stand structure, and ungulate pressure on the abundance, species richness, and diversity of herbaceous vascular plants and terricolous bryophytes. We showed that stand structure indices and plot-level browsing pressure had direct and opposite effects on herbaceous vascular plant species diversity; these effects were linked with the light tolerance of the different species groups. Increasing canopy cover had an overall negative effect on herbaceous vascular plant abundance and species diversity. The effect was two to three times greater in magnitude than the positive effects of browsing pressure on herbaceous plants diversity. On the other hand, a high stand density index had a positive effect on the species richness and diversity of bryophytes, while browsing had no effect. Forest management abandonment had few direct effects on understory plant communities, and mainly indirectly affected herbaceous vascular plant and bryophyte abundance and species richness and diversity through changes in vertical stand structure. Our results show that conservation biologists should rely on foresters and hunters to lead the preservation of understory vegetation communities in managed forests since, respectively, they manipulate stand structure and regulate ungulate pressure. Their management actions should be adapted to the taxa at stake, since bryophytes and vascular plants respond differently to stand and ungulate factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vincent Boulanger
- Département Recherche et Développement, Office National des Forêts, Fontainebleau, France
| | - Serge Cadet
- Office National des Forêts (ONF), Réseau Flore-Habitats, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | | | | | - Yann Dumas
- INRAE, UR EFNO, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | | | | | | | - Yoan Paillet
- INRAE, UR EFNO, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
- Universitè Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, Saint Martin d'Hères, France
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4
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Chollet S, Baltzinger C, Maillard M, Martin JL. Deer exclusion unveils abiotic filtering in forest understorey plant assemblages. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 128:371-381. [PMID: 34175940 PMCID: PMC8389181 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The role of deer (family Cervidae) in ecosystem functioning has traditionally been neglected by forest ecologists due to the animal's scarcity in most parts of the northern hemisphere. However, the dramatic rebound in deer populations throughout the 20th century has brought deer browsing to the forefront of forest ecological questioning. Today there is ample evidence that deer affect tree regeneration, understorey plant and animal diversity, and even litter decomposition. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of deer on forest ecosystems remain unclear. Among others, the relative role of abiotic factors versus biotic interactions (e.g. herbivory) in shaping plant assemblages remains largely unknown. METHODS We used a large-scale experiment with exclosures distributed along abiotic gradients to understand the role of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitchensis) on the forest understorey on the Haida Gwaii archipelago (western Canada), a unique context where most of the key ecological effects of deer presence have already been intensively studied. KEY RESULTS Our results demonstrate that 20 years of deer exclusion resulted in a clear increase in vascular plant richness, diversity and cover, and caused a decline in bryophyte cover. Exclusion also unveiled abiotic (i.e. soil water availability and fertility) filtering of plant assemblages that would otherwise have been masked by the impact of abundant deer populations. However, deer exclusion did not lead to an increase in beta diversity, probably because some remnant species had a competitive advantage to regrow after decades of over browsing. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that long-term herbivory by deer can be a dominant factor structuring understorey plant communities that overwhelms abiotic factors. However, while exclosures prove useful to assess the overall effects of large herbivores, the results from our studies at broader scales on the Haida Gwaii archipelago suggest that exclosure experiments should be used cautiously when inferring the mechanisms at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Chollet
- University of Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution] – UMR 6553, Rennes, France
| | - Christophe Baltzinger
- INRAE Val de Loire, Research Unit Forest Ecosystems, Domaine des Barres, 45290, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Morgane Maillard
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Väisänen M, Tuomi M, Bailey H, Welker JM. Plant and soil nitrogen in oligotrophic boreal forest habitats with varying moss depths: does exclusion of large grazers matter? Oecologia 2021; 196:839-849. [PMID: 34080051 PMCID: PMC8292301 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04957-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The boreal forest consists of drier sunlit and moister-shaded habitats with varying moss abundance. Mosses control vascular plant-soil interactions, yet they all can also be altered by grazers. We determined how 2 decades of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) exclusion affect feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi) depth, and the accompanying soil N dynamics (total and dissolvable inorganic N, δ15N), plant foliar N, and stable isotopes (δ15N, δ13C) in two contrasting habitats of an oligotrophic Scots pine forest. The study species were pine seedling (Pinus sylvestris L.), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), lingonberry (V. vitis-idaea L.), and feather moss. Moss carpet was deeper in shaded than sunlit habitats and increased with grazer exclusion. Humus N content increased in the shade as did humus δ15N, which also increased due to exclusion in the sunlit habitats. Exclusion increased inorganic N concentration in the mineral soil. These soil responses were correlated with moss depth. Foliar chemistry varied due to habitat depending on species identity. Pine seedlings showed higher foliar N content and lower foliar δ15N in the shaded than in the sunlit habitats, while bilberry had both higher foliar N and δ15N in the shade. Thus, foliar δ15N values of co-existing species diverged in the shade indicating enhanced N partitioning. We conclude that despite strong grazing-induced shifts in mosses and subtler shifts in soil N, the N dynamics of vascular vegetation remain unchanged. These indicate that plant-soil interactions are resistant to shifts in grazing intensity, a pattern that appears to be common across boreal oligotrophic forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Väisänen
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. .,Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland.
| | - Maria Tuomi
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Hannah Bailey
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Jeffrey M Welker
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Department of Biological Science, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA.,UArctic, Rovaniemi, Finland
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6
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Chollet S, Maillard M, Schörghuber J, Grayston SJ, Martin JL. Deer slow down litter decomposition by reducing litter quality in a temperate forest. Ecology 2020; 102:e03235. [PMID: 33098575 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Litter decomposition is a key process that allows the recycling of nutrients within ecosystems. In temperate forests, the role of large herbivores in litter decomposition remains a subject of debate. To address this question, we used two litterbag experiments in a quasiexperimental situation resulting from the introduction of Sitka black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis on forested islands of Haida Gwaii (Canada). We investigated the two main pathways by which deer could modify litter decomposition: change in litter quality and modification of decomposer communities. We found that deer presence significantly reduced litter mass loss after 1 yr, mainly through a reduction in litter quality. This mass loss reflected a 30 and 28% lower loss of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), respectively. The presence of deer also reduced the ability of decomposers to break down carbon, but not nitrogen. Indeed, litter placed on an island with deer lost 5% less carbon after 1 yr of decomposition than did litter decomposing on an island without deer. This loss in ability to decompose litter in the presence of deer was outweighed by the differences in mass loss associated with the effect of deer on litter quality. Additional effects of feces deposition by deer on the decomposition process were also significant but minor. These results suggest that the effects dramatic continental-scale increases in deer populations may have on broad-scale patterns of C and N cycling deserve closer attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Chollet
- Univ Rennes, Université de Rennes 1, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystems-Biodiversity-Evolution)] - UMR 6553, Campus de Beaulieu, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, F-35042, Rennes, France
| | - Morgane Maillard
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry-EPHE-IRD, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier, France.,Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences Vancouver, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Juliane Schörghuber
- Research Group on Introduced Species, British Columbia, Queen Charlotte, V0T 1S0, Canada
| | - Sue J Grayston
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences Vancouver, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jean-Louis Martin
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry-EPHE-IRD, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier, France
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7
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Maliniemi T, Happonen K, Virtanen R. Site fertility drives temporal turnover of vegetation at high latitudes. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:13255-13266. [PMID: 31871643 PMCID: PMC6912880 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental evidence shows that site fertility is a key modulator underlying plant community changes under climate change. Communities on fertile sites, with species having fast dynamics, have been found to react more strongly to climate change than communities on infertile sites with slow dynamics. However, it is still unclear whether this generally applies to high-latitude plant communities in natural environments at broad spatial scales. We tested a hypothesis that vegetation of fertile sites experiences greater changes over several decades and thus would be more responsive under contemporary climate change compared to infertile sites that are expected to show more resistance. We resurveyed understorey communities (vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens) of four infertile and four fertile forest sites along a latitudinal bioclimatic gradient. Sites had remained outside direct human disturbance. We analyzed the magnitude of temporal community turnover, changes in the abundances of plant morphological groups and strategy classes, and changes in species diversity. In agreement with our hypothesis, temporal turnover of communities was consistently greater on fertile sites compared to infertile sites. However, our results suggest that the larger turnover of fertile communities is not primarily related to the direct effects of climatic warming. Furthermore, community changes in both fertile and infertile sites showed remarkable variation in terms of shares of plant functional groups and strategy classes and measures of species diversity. This further emphasizes the essential role of baseline environmental conditions and nonclimatic drivers underlying vegetation changes. Our results show that site fertility is a key determinant of the overall rate of high-latitude vegetation changes but the composition of plant communities in different ecological contexts is variously impacted by nonclimatic drivers over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuija Maliniemi
- Geography Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Konsta Happonen
- Department of Geosciences and GeographyUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Risto Virtanen
- Ecology and Genetics Research UnitUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
- Department of Physiological DiversityHelmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
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8
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Lorentzen Kolstad A, Austrheim G, Solberg EJ, De Vriendt L, Speed JDM. Pervasive moose browsing in boreal forests alters successional trajectories by severely suppressing keystone species. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anders Lorentzen Kolstad
- Department of Natural History; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; NTNU University Museum; NO-7491 Trondheim Norway
| | - Gunnar Austrheim
- Department of Natural History; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; NTNU University Museum; NO-7491 Trondheim Norway
| | - Erling J. Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA); NO-7485 Trondheim Norway
| | - Laurent De Vriendt
- Department of Biology; Laval University; Quebec City Quebec G1V 0A6 Canada
- Centre for Forest Research (CEF); Université du Québec à Montréal; Montréal Quebec H3C 3P8 Canada
- Centre for Northern Studies (CEN); Laval University; Quebec City Quebec G1V 0A6 Canada
| | - James D. M. Speed
- Department of Natural History; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; NTNU University Museum; NO-7491 Trondheim Norway
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9
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Boulanger V, Dupouey JL, Archaux F, Badeau V, Baltzinger C, Chevalier R, Corcket E, Dumas Y, Forgeard F, Mårell A, Montpied P, Paillet Y, Picard JF, Saïd S, Ulrich E. Ungulates increase forest plant species richness to the benefit of non-forest specialists. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:e485-e495. [PMID: 28892277 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Large wild ungulates are a major biotic factor shaping plant communities. They influence species abundance and occurrence directly by herbivory and plant dispersal, or indirectly by modifying plant-plant interactions and through soil disturbance. In forest ecosystems, researchers' attention has been mainly focused on deer overabundance. Far less is known about the effects on understory plant dynamics and diversity of wild ungulates where their abundance is maintained at lower levels to mitigate impacts on tree regeneration. We used vegetation data collected over 10 years on 82 pairs of exclosure (excluding ungulates) and control plots located in a nation-wide forest monitoring network (Renecofor). We report the effects of ungulate exclusion on (i) plant species richness and ecological characteristics, (ii) and cover percentage of herbaceous and shrub layers. We also analyzed the response of these variables along gradients of ungulate abundance, based on hunting statistics, for wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Outside the exclosures, forest ungulates maintained higher species richness in the herbaceous layer (+15%), while the shrub layer was 17% less rich, and the plant communities became more light-demanding. Inside the exclosures, shrub cover increased, often to the benefit of bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.). Ungulates tend to favour ruderal, hemerobic, epizoochorous and non-forest species. Among plots, the magnitude of vegetation changes was proportional to deer abundance. We conclude that ungulates, through the control of the shrub layer, indirectly increase herbaceous plant species richness by increasing light reaching the ground. However, this increase is detrimental to the peculiarity of forest plant communities and contributes to a landscape-level biotic homogenization. Even at population density levels considered to be harmless for overall plant species richness, ungulates remain a conservation issue for plant community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Boulanger
- Office National des Forêts, Département Recherche, Développement et Innovation, Fontainebleau, France
| | - Jean-Luc Dupouey
- INRA - Université de Lorraine, UMR 1137 Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Champenoux, France
| | - Frédéric Archaux
- Irstea, UR EFNO, Domaine des Barres, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Vincent Badeau
- INRA - Université de Lorraine, UMR 1137 Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Champenoux, France
| | | | | | - Emmanuel Corcket
- Université de Bordeaux, UMR1202 BioGeCo, Allée Geoffroy St-Hilaire, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Yann Dumas
- Irstea, UR EFNO, Domaine des Barres, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Françoise Forgeard
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Végétale, Université de Rennes I, Rennes Cedex, France
| | - Anders Mårell
- Irstea, UR EFNO, Domaine des Barres, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Pierre Montpied
- INRA - Université de Lorraine, UMR 1137 Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Champenoux, France
| | - Yoan Paillet
- Irstea, UR EFNO, Domaine des Barres, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Jean-François Picard
- INRA - Université de Lorraine, UMR 1137 Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Champenoux, France
| | - Sonia Saïd
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune sauvage, DRE Unité, Ongulés sauvages, Birieux, France
| | - Erwin Ulrich
- Office National des Forêts, Département Recherche, Développement et Innovation, Fontainebleau, France
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10
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Bonnot NC, Morellet N, Hewison AM, Martin JL, Benhamou S, Chamaillé-Jammes S. Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) adjust habitat selection and activity rhythm to the absence of predators. CAN J ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2015-0227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Although individuals must generally trade off acquisition of high-quality resources against predation risk avoidance, removal of top predators by humans has resulted in many large herbivores experiencing novel conditions where their natural predators are absent. Antipredator behaviors should be attenuated or lost in such a context of relaxed predation pressure. To test this prediction, we analyzed daily and seasonal habitat selection and activity rhythm (both commonly linked to predation risk) of GPS-collared Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis Merriam, 1898) on predator-free islands (British Columbia, Canada). In marked contrast to the behavioral patterns commonly observed in populations subject to predation risk, we documented a very low day–night contrast in habitat selection. Moreover, we observed higher activity during daytime than nighttime, as expected for nonhunted populations. We also showed that resource selection was primarily driven by seasonal variations in resource availability. These results are consistent with the expected attenuation of antipredator behaviors in predation-free environments. However, we also observed marked crepuscular activity peaks, which are commonly interpreted as an antipredator response in ungulates. Our study indicates that large herbivores are able to adjust certain antipredator behaviors under relaxed selection, notably habitat selection and activity rhythm, while others persist despite the long-term absence of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadège C. Bonnot
- INRA, UR35 Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, CS 52627, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
- Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175, CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul Valéry Montpellier – EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- INRA, UR35 Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, CS 52627, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - A.J. Mark Hewison
- INRA, UR35 Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, CS 52627, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Jean-Louis Martin
- Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175, CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul Valéry Montpellier – EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Simon Benhamou
- Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175, CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul Valéry Montpellier – EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175, CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul Valéry Montpellier – EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
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11
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Chollet S, Padié S, Stockton S, Allombert S, Gaston AJ, Martin JL. Positive plant and bird diversity response to experimental deer population reduction after decades of uncontrolled browsing. DIVERS DISTRIB 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Chollet
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175; CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE; 1919 route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
- Ecole de la nature et du paysage/INSA Centre Val de Loire; 9 rue de la Chocolaterie 41000 Blois France
| | - Sophie Padié
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175; CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE; 1919 route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - Stephen Stockton
- Department of Biology; University of Ottawa; Ottawa ON K1N 6N5 Canada
| | - Sylvain Allombert
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175; CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE; 1919 route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - Anthony J. Gaston
- National Wildlife Research Centre; Environment Canada; Carleton University; Raven Road Ottawa ON K1A 0H3 Canada
| | - Jean-Louis Martin
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive UMR 5175; CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul Valéry Montpellier - EPHE; 1919 route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
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Le Saout S, Padié S, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Chollet S, Côté S, Morellet N, Pattison J, Harris E, Martin JL. Short-term effects of hunting on naïve black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis): behavioural response and consequences on vegetation growth. CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Hunting is commonly used to reduce overabundant deer populations that are of socioeconomic and ecological concerns. Recently, it has been suggested that “hunting for fear” might help maximize nonconsumptive effects of hunting and their cascading impacts. We investigated how a predator-free black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis Merriam, 1898) population introduced to the Haida Gwaii archipelago (Canada) responded to short-term hunting for fear. We conducted a hunt that minimized killing and maximized scaring on an island where some deer were marked. Between control and hunted sites, we compared deer use of bait stations and of shoreline areas (i.e., an open and risky area that provided marine subsidies). We also compared the browsing pressure and growth of two grasses and two shrubs. Hunting for fear had no effect on the overall use of bait stations and shorelines. However, in the area exposed to hunting, unmarked deer, which were assumed to be less tolerant of human disturbance, avoided bait stations at the outset of hunting. We concluded that individuals perceive and respond to risk differently. Furthermore, two of the four plant species were less likely to be browsed and had better growth in the experimental area than in the control area, suggesting an indirect effect of hunting on plants mediated by deer behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soizic Le Saout
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE/CNRS-UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France; Université Montpellier II, 2 place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Sophie Padié
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE/CNRS-UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France; Université Montpellier II, 2 place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE/CNRS-UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Simon Chollet
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE/CNRS-UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France; Université Montpellier II, 2 place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
| | - Steve Côté
- Département de biologie et Centre d’études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, 24 chemin de Borde Rouge, Auzeville, BP CS 52627, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan CEDEX, France
| | - Jake Pattison
- Research Group on Introduced Species (RGIS), Laskeek Bay Conservation Society Office, P.O. Box 867, Queen Charlotte, BC VOT 1SO, Canada
| | - Erin Harris
- Research Group on Introduced Species (RGIS), Laskeek Bay Conservation Society Office, P.O. Box 867, Queen Charlotte, BC VOT 1SO, Canada
| | - Jean-Louis Martin
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE/CNRS-UMR 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier CEDEX 5, France
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13
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Long-term consequences of invasive deer on songbird communities: Going from bad to worse? Biol Invasions 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-014-0768-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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