Physical and chemical response of understory vegetation to deer use in southeastern Alaska

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Forest Research
• Main Author: Hanley, Thomas A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1987
• Subjects: Ecology; Forestry; Global and Planetary Change; Carr; Archipelago; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/x87-034; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/x87-034

Biomass of understory vegetation was sampled inside and outside four 19- to 21-year-old deer enclosures in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska. Three sites were old-growth forests of western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) –Sitka spruce (Piceasitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) and one site was an even-aged spruce–hemlock stand. In vitro dry-matter digestibility, fiber, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations of western hemlock seedlings and Alaska blueberry (Vacciniumalaskensis How.) inside and outside each exclosure also were compared. Analysis of variance indicated that Alaska blueberry and trailing bramble (Rubuspedatus Sm.) had greater biomass inside than outside the exclosures. No differences in chemical composition or digestibility of blueberry or hemlock inside and outside the exclosures occurred across sites. Results indicated that although deer may exert moderate to strong influence on the species composition and biomass of forest understories, their effect on dry-matter digestibility, fiber, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations of individual species may be negligible.