How to translate text using browser tools
1 January 2018 Browse by White-tailed Deer Decreases Cover and Growth of the Invasive Shrub, Lonicera maackii
Jessica R. Peebles-Spencer, Christina M. Haffey, David L. Gorchov
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

While arthropod herbivory on invasive plant species is generally low, herbivory by generalist mammals is often high. We tested whether exclusion of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, increased the cover and growth of Lonicera maackii, an invasive shrub, in forested natural areas in Ohio, U.S.A. We found leaf frequency of L. maackii in two height ranges, 0.5–1 m and 1–1.5 m, was significantly greater where deer had been excluded for 4 y. Furthermore, the basal area growth of these shrubs over 5 y tended to be higher, and the final basal area of small shrubs was significantly higher, in exclosures. These findings, along with direct evidence of deer browse from the literature, indicate deer browse on this invasive shrub is sufficient to affect its architecture and growth, and potentially mitigate its negative effect on native plants.

Jessica R. Peebles-Spencer, Christina M. Haffey, and David L. Gorchov "Browse by White-tailed Deer Decreases Cover and Growth of the Invasive Shrub, Lonicera maackii," The American Midland Naturalist 179(1), 68-77, (1 January 2018). https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-179.1.68
Received: 4 May 2017; Accepted: 1 September 2017; Published: 1 January 2018
JOURNAL ARTICLE
10 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top