at Google ScholarTitle data
Hagge, Jonas ; Müller, Jörg ; Bässler, Claus ; Biebl, Samantha Susanne ; Brandl, Roland ; Drexler, Matthias ; Gruppe, Axel ; Hotes, Stefan ; Hothorn, Torsten ; Langhammer, Peter ; Stark, Hans ; Wirtz, Roland ; Zimmerer, Veronika ; Mysterud, Atle:
Deadwood retention in forests lowers short-term browsing pressure on silver fir saplings by overabundant deer.
In: Forest Ecology and Management.
Vol. 451
(2019)
.
- 117531.
ISSN 0378-1127
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117531
Abstract in another language
Humans have widely extirpated large carnivores and simultaneously promoted overabundance of deer. The intense pressure imposed by these herbivores in forests has led to extremely low rates of natural forest regeneration. In natural old-growth forests, deadwood functions as a key driver of biodiversity and promotes ecosystem functioning, such as water retention and nutrient recycling. An as yet unappreciated function of deadwood is its ability to act as a physical barrier, excluding large herbivores from the obstructed patches and thereby reducing browsing pressure. However, this benefit may be minimized by an increase in rodent herbivory in the sheltered patches. In this study, a field experiment was conducted in a total of 384 plots in which tree crowns (0–4) from logging residuals were used as increasingly dense physical barriers to shelter five newly planted saplings of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). Generalized linear mixed-effects models were applied to determine whether sapling browsing by roe deer and rodents was differentially affected by these barriers. The probability of roe deer browsing decreased from 26% (no crowns) to 2% (4 crowns) while that of rodent browsing increased from 1% to 17%, respectively, as the number of deadwood crowns used in barrier construction increased. In broadleaf stands, browsing by roe deer and rodents was generally higher than in coniferous stands. In forests with high numbers of visitors, browsing by roe deer was reduced, but browsing by rodents was not influenced. The retention of large amounts of deadwood or active deadwood increments may thus provide an effective barrier to roe deer browsing but promote the browsing activity of rodents. The landscape-level heterogeneity of browsing patterns associated with the presence of deadwood suggests that deadwood shelters in homogenized forests may encourage both natural forest regeneration and forest biodiversity, despite an overabundance of roe deer.
Further data
| Item Type: | Article in a journal |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Keywords: | Browsing; Capreolus capreolus; Deadwood; Forest restoration; Regeneration; Rodents; Sapling growth |
| Institutions of the University: | Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology > Chair Fungal Ecology > Chair Fungal Ecology - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Claus Bässler Research Institutions > Central research institutes > Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research- BayCEER |
| Result of work at the UBT: | No |
| DDC Subjects: | 500 Science > 550 Earth sciences, geology 500 Science > 570 Life sciences, biology |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Nov 2024 07:01 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Nov 2024 07:01 |
| URI: | https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/91033 |