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Spatio-temporal variation in foodscapes modifies deer browsing impact on vegetation

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Abstract

Context

Ungulate browsers often alter plant composition and reduce diversity in forests worldwide, yet our ability to predict browse impact on vegetation remains equivocal. Theory suggests, however, that ungulate distribution and foraging impacts are shaped by scale-dependent decisions based on variation in habitat composition and structure encountered within their home range.

Objective

Examine how variation in habitat composition at landscape (259 ha) scales modulates browse impact on vegetation at local scales.

Methods

We measured vegetation richness and abundance in plots with and without white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at 23 northern hardwood forest sites distributed across a 6500 km2 area in Pennsylvania, USA. Experimental sites were embedded within landscapes with varying levels of habitat composition and deer densities.

Results

Browsing reduced vegetation richness and cover by as much as 53 and 70%, respectively; however, we found browse impact was modulated by variation in the relative abundance of managed habitats that alter forage availability. Specifically, relative to fenced areas, browse impact weakened and ultimately disappeared as the proportion of forage-rich habitats (e.g., recent harvests) increased to ≥20%. Conversely, vegetation grew increasingly depauperate as landscapes contained greater proportions of forage-poor habitats (i.e., older harvests), particularly when browsed.

Conclusions

Our results underscore how management actions that alter forage availability to ungulates throughout the landscape (i.e. the foodscape) can shape forest-ungulate interactions and suggest a new paradigm whereby managers evaluate and undertake actions at the appropriate spatio-temporal scales to proactively limit the deleterious impact of browsing on plant biodiversity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the USDA-AFRI Award #12-IA-11242302-093 and the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. We are indebted to the Allegheny National Forest, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Bradford Water Authority, Forest Investment Associates, Generations Forestry, Hancock Forest Management, Landvest, and Kane Hardwoods for field sites. We thank Charles Vandever for assistance with data collection, John Stanovick for his insightful statistical consultations and Scott Stoleson, Todd Ristau, Patricia Raymond, Jean-Pierre Tremblay, and Susan Wright for valuable editorial suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, PO Box 267, Irvine, PA, 16329-0267, USA

    Alejandro A. Royo & Susan L. Stout

  2. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    David W. Kramer, Karl V. Miller & Nathan P. Nibbelink

  3. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12233-4754, USA

    David W. Kramer

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  1. Alejandro A. Royo
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Correspondence to Alejandro A. Royo.

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Royo, A.A., Kramer, D.W., Miller, K.V. et al. Spatio-temporal variation in foodscapes modifies deer browsing impact on vegetation. Landscape Ecol 32, 2281–2295 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0568-x

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