气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Effects of culling white-tailed deer on tree regeneration and Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass

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DOI	10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118015
	Effects of culling white-tailed deer on tree regeneration and Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass
	Schmit J.P.; Matthews E.R.; Brolis A.
发表日期	2020
ISSN	0378-1127
卷号	463
英文摘要	Reduction of forest regeneration due to overbrowsing by white-tailed deer is a growing concern for land managers. Abundant deer can impede forest regeneration through direct predation on tree seedlings. Additionally high deer density can facilitate the establishment of a dense understory of browse tolerant plant species that shades seedlings and persists even in the absence of deer. In response to these challenges, land managers have sought to reduce deer herds to restore tree regeneration, but few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this management. Our study took place in Catoctin Mountain Park, a US National Park Service unit with a history of high deer density. The park has been heavily invaded by Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass that can completely cover the forest floor. Using permanent plots established prior to the start of deer management, we were able to assess the joint effects of deer culling and M. vimineum on tree seedling density. We found that tree seedling density increased in response to deer reductions. M. vimineum cover initially increased, but then decreased. Seedling densities were higher in plots with more M. vimineum cover, indicating that it did not form a recalcitrant understory that would suppress regeneration. However, eight years after deer management began, few tree seedlings were >30 cm tall, implying that it will be many years before they grow into the sapling stage. Our results indicate that deer culling can be an effective tool in restoring tree regeneration despite the presence of M. vimineum, but that success will require a long-term commitment. © 2020
英文关键词	Deer management; Forest regeneration; Invasive species; Tree seedlings
语种	英语
scopus关键词	Managers; Seed; Deer management; Forest regeneration; Invasive species; National Park Service; Seedling density; Tree regeneration; Tree seedlings; White-tailed deer; Reforestation; deer; forest ecosystem; forest management; grass; invasive species; seedling; tree; understory; Coverings; Density; Land; Management; Reforestation; Seedlings; Trees; Appalachians; Blue Ridge Mountains; Catoctin Mountain; United States; Cervidae; Microstegium vimineum; Odocoileus virginianus
来源期刊	Forest Ecology and Management
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/155360
作者单位	National Park Service, NCR Office of Natural Resources and Science, 4598 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Washington, DC, 20007, United States
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Schmit J.P.,Matthews E.R.,Brolis A.. Effects of culling white-tailed deer on tree regeneration and Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass[J],2020,463.
APA	Schmit J.P.,Matthews E.R.,&Brolis A..(2020).Effects of culling white-tailed deer on tree regeneration and Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass.Forest Ecology and Management,463.
MLA	Schmit J.P.,et al."Effects of culling white-tailed deer on tree regeneration and Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass".Forest Ecology and Management 463(2020).