Description
Impediments, such as tree logs, can prevent access to saplings for deer, and can increase perceived predation risk in areas with large carnivores. Therefore, impediments can influence deer foraging decisions and the trade-off between safety and food indirectly influencing tree regeneration. The aim of our study was to test how the presence of an impediment affects deer foraging behavior and tree sapling performance of eight species that differ in preference by deer. We planted saplings without, nearby and inside impediments and followed their faith for three consecutive years in the Białowieża forest, Poland.Deer did not select different tree species without, near or inside the impediment. Due to the overall lower browsing intensity tree saplings increased more in height near the impediment and most inside the impediment. The palatable, and not browse tolerant Acer platanoides benefited most from the impediment as this species was heavily browsed without an impediment. In comparison, the presence of an impediment had a smaller effect on the less preferred Alnus glutinosa, Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris which survived well without an impediment. Our study showed that impediments modified deer behavior as they visited these plots less and thereby indirectly reduced the browsing impact on the preferred tree species.| Period | 12-Feb-2020 |
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| Event title | Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting 2020 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 13 |
| Organiser | Netherlands Ecological Research Network (NERN) |
| Location | Lunteren, NetherlandsShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |