Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences
Herbivores affect plants via direct consumption, but also indirectly via changes in the vegetation. These indirect effects may only manifest after decades of exposure and, as a result, their impact is rarely accounted for. To better understand the direct and indirect impacts of a large herbivore, mo...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 |
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 2023-12-17T10:18:03+01:00 Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences Zonnevylle, Hannah M. Acharya, Kirk Potvin, Lynette Romanski, Mark Ibáñez, Inés 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Forest Research volume 53, issue 4, page 234-243 ISSN 0045-5067 1208-6037 Ecology Forestry Global and Planetary Change journal-article 2023 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 2023-11-19T13:38:25Z Herbivores affect plants via direct consumption, but also indirectly via changes in the vegetation. These indirect effects may only manifest after decades of exposure and, as a result, their impact is rarely accounted for. To better understand the direct and indirect impacts of a large herbivore, moose ( Alces alces), on forests, we measured tree growth in areas that were both subjected to and excluded from herbivory for over 80 years. Growth data were gathered from five tree species, ranging from low to high palatability. We found that at small sizes, Betula papyrifera, a preferred species, benefited from herbivore exclusion. However, larger individuals grew more when exposed to herbivory, a response we attribute to lower competition in heavily browsed conditions. Populus tremuloides, a highly preferred tree, did not show any differences between levels of herbivory. Abies balsamea, a preferred winter browsed, was only marginally affected by browsing at smaller sizes. The two non-preferred species, Picea glauca and Picea mariana, did not show differential growth between herbivory levels. We conclude that herbivores can impact forests through both direct and indirect effects, that these effects are size specific, and that effects vary among species in ways not always predicted by consumption patterns. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alces alces Canadian Science Publishing (via Crossref) Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
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Open Polar |
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Canadian Science Publishing (via Crossref) |
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crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Ecology Forestry Global and Planetary Change |
spellingShingle |
Ecology Forestry Global and Planetary Change Zonnevylle, Hannah M. Acharya, Kirk Potvin, Lynette Romanski, Mark Ibáñez, Inés Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
topic_facet |
Ecology Forestry Global and Planetary Change |
description |
Herbivores affect plants via direct consumption, but also indirectly via changes in the vegetation. These indirect effects may only manifest after decades of exposure and, as a result, their impact is rarely accounted for. To better understand the direct and indirect impacts of a large herbivore, moose ( Alces alces), on forests, we measured tree growth in areas that were both subjected to and excluded from herbivory for over 80 years. Growth data were gathered from five tree species, ranging from low to high palatability. We found that at small sizes, Betula papyrifera, a preferred species, benefited from herbivore exclusion. However, larger individuals grew more when exposed to herbivory, a response we attribute to lower competition in heavily browsed conditions. Populus tremuloides, a highly preferred tree, did not show any differences between levels of herbivory. Abies balsamea, a preferred winter browsed, was only marginally affected by browsing at smaller sizes. The two non-preferred species, Picea glauca and Picea mariana, did not show differential growth between herbivory levels. We conclude that herbivores can impact forests through both direct and indirect effects, that these effects are size specific, and that effects vary among species in ways not always predicted by consumption patterns. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Zonnevylle, Hannah M. Acharya, Kirk Potvin, Lynette Romanski, Mark Ibáñez, Inés |
author_facet |
Zonnevylle, Hannah M. Acharya, Kirk Potvin, Lynette Romanski, Mark Ibáñez, Inés |
author_sort |
Zonnevylle, Hannah M. |
title |
Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
title_short |
Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
title_full |
Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
title_fullStr |
Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
title_full_unstemmed |
Long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
title_sort |
long-term effects of herbivory on tree growth are not consistent with browsing preferences |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 |
genre |
Alces alces |
genre_facet |
Alces alces |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Forest Research volume 53, issue 4, page 234-243 ISSN 0045-5067 1208-6037 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2022-0221 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Forest Research |
_version_ |
1785538988902187008 |