Interactions among forestry regeneration treatments,plant vigour and browsing damage by deer. |
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| Authors: | Bergquist Jonas Örlander Göran Nilsson Urban |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Animal Ecology, Asa Forest Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-360 30 Lammhult, Sweden;(2) Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, The Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, S-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | In a large field experiment we studied the influence of regenerationmethods on the extent to which roe deer (Capreoluscapreolus L.) browse on spruce (Picea abies L.Karst) seedlings. Our objective was to evaluate if treatments that are good atstimulating regeneration may increase browsing damage by deer. Data werecollected between 1993 and 1995, and in the winters of 1993–94 and1994–95 the frequency of browsed seedlings was 13.2% and 13.4%,respectively. The frequency of browsing damage varied considerably betweensitesand clearcuts. Browsing damage was more frequent when the regeneration methodsincluded insecticide treatments. Among insecticide-free treatments, browsingwasheavier on scarified plots than on herbicide-treated or control plots (in whichseedlings were planted on untreated ground and given no post-plantingtreatment). Containerised seedlings were browsed more than bare-rooted ones.Neither the age of clearcut when planting, nor removal of slash, had any effecton browsing. It was demonstrated that regeneration methods that increased plantvigour (as assessed by leader growth and needle colour index) led to morebrowsing damage. Thus, our results support the plant vigour hypothesis, whichstates that many herbivores prefer to feed on vigorous plants because they aremore nutritious. However, the difference in browsing damage betweencontainerised and bare-rooted seedlings could not be explained solely by theplant vigour hypothesis. |
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| Keywords: | Browsing damage Capreolus capreolus Forest regeneration Picea abies Plant vigour Roe deer Seedling Spruce |
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