Large Boulders Provide Refuge for Browse-Sensitive Species and Reveal a Legacy of Overbrowsing and Shifting Baselines

IF 2 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q3 ECOLOGY
Gillian G. Revenis, Ryan Utz, Rose-Marie Muzika, Thomas P. Diggins, Walter P. Carson
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Question

Overbrowsing by abundant deer reshapes the composition of forests from palatable native species to browse-tolerant species, leading to simplified understories with reduced biodiversity. Here, we ask whether geologic refugia (e.g., tall boulders) will provide a haven for vulnerable plant species to escape browsing pressure from high populations of native deer.

Location

Huron Mountains, Michigan, USA.

Methods

We compared the percent cover, species richness, and Shannon diversity of all plant species on tall boulders to adjacent fenced exclosures and to forest floor reference plots to quantify the degree to which deer impact one of the largest remaining tracts of old-growth forests in the Eastern United States.

Results

We found that boulders contained 60% higher richness and diversity than reference plots, as well as a more diverse mix of midstory species, shrubs, and forbs. Seven-year-old exclosure and reference plots were nearly indistinguishable from each other and were dominated by Acer saccharum and other browse-tolerant species.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that boulders are a highly effective, though rarely used, proxy or bioassay of the degree to which chronic overbrowsing creates impoverished understories composed of browse-tolerant or unpalatable species. Our findings highlight the significance of refugia as a haven from overbrowsing for vulnerable plant species and emphasize the importance of using exclosures alongside refugia.

Abstract Image

巨石为对浏览敏感的物种提供了避难所,揭示了过度浏览和转移基线的遗产
大量鹿的过度觅食将森林的组成从美味的本地物种重塑为耐浏览物种,导致林下植被简化,生物多样性减少。在这里,我们想知道地质避难所(例如,高大的巨石)是否会为脆弱的植物物种提供一个避风港,以逃避大量本地鹿的觅食压力。位置休伦山,密歇根州,美国。方法我们将高巨石上所有植物物种的盖度百分比、物种丰富度和香农多样性与相邻的围栏和森林地面参考样地进行了比较,以量化鹿对美国东部最大的原始森林之一的影响程度。结果研究区卵石群落的丰富度和多样性比参考样地高60%,中层植物、灌木和草本植物的组合更加多样化。7年龄封闭样地与参考样地几乎无法区分,以糖槭(Acer saccharum)和其他耐浏览树种为主。本研究表明,尽管很少使用,但对于长期过度浏览造成由耐浏览或不美味物种组成的贫瘠林下物种的程度,巨石是一种非常有效的替代或生物测定方法。我们的研究结果强调了避难所作为过度浏览脆弱植物物种的避风港的重要性,并强调了在避难所旁边使用封闭的重要性。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Applied Vegetation Science
Applied Vegetation Science 环境科学-林学
CiteScore
6.00
自引率
10.70%
发文量
67
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Applied Vegetation Science focuses on community-level topics relevant to human interaction with vegetation, including global change, nature conservation, nature management, restoration of plant communities and of natural habitats, and the planning of semi-natural and urban landscapes. Vegetation survey, modelling and remote-sensing applications are welcome. Papers on vegetation science which do not fit to this scope (do not have an applied aspect and are not vegetation survey) should be directed to our associate journal, the Journal of Vegetation Science. Both journals publish papers on the ecology of a single species only if it plays a key role in structuring plant communities.
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