Community-level impacts of white-tailed deer on understorey plants in North American forests: a meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: The impacts of introduced or overabundant large herbivores are a concern for the conservation of forest plant communities and the sustainability of ecosystem function. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are considered ecologically overabundant in much of North America. Previous work suggests that impacts of deer overabundance are broadly negative and are consequently degrading forests at multiple ecological and taxonomic levels. However, no quantitative synthesis currently exists to verify the generality or magnitude of these impacts. Here, we report the results of a meta-analysis quantifying the effects of deer exclusion on the diversity, cover and abundance of woody, herbaceous and whole community components of forest understories in North America. In addition, we explore the rel

SUBMITTER: Habeck CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4676796 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature