Oak regeneration facing deer browsing: Can competition between saplings offset the diversion effect? A simulation experiment

Barrere, Julien; Ligot, Gauthier; Boulanger, Vincent; Collet, Catherine; Courbaud, Benoît; de Coligny, François; Mårell, Anders; Saïd, Sonia; Balandier, Philippe

doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110608

Article (Scientific journals)

Oak regeneration facing deer browsing: Can competition between saplings offset the diversion effect? A simulation experiment

Barrere, Julien; Ligot, Gauthier; Boulanger, Vincent et al.

2024 • In Ecological Modelling, 489, p. 110608

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2268/310788

DOI
10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110608

Files (1)Send to Details Statistics Bibliography Similar publications

Files

Full Text

Barrere2024_ECOMOD_preprint.pdf

Author preprint (1.56 MB)

Download

All documents in ORBi are protected by a user license.

Send to

RIS BibTex APA Chicago Permalink X Linkedin

Details

Keywords :

Ecological Modeling; Ungulates; sessile oak; Association effects; Attractant-decoy hypothesis; forest regeneration dynamics model

Abstract :

[en] The constraint caused by wild ungulates on forest regeneration is increasing worldwide. Hypotheses for plant association effects predict that species susceptible to herbivory can gain protection from other neighbouring plant species. In theory, such interactions could help limit the impact of browsing on the regeneration of specific tree species. However, the presence of neighbouring species can also result in increasing competition for resources between species. The resultant effects on forest regeneration of these interactions, both positive (protection against herbivores) and negative (inter-specific competition) are still unclear. To gain insight, we coupled models of browsing by roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and of forest dynamics to simulate trajectories of oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) regeneration admixed with species of contrasted palatability and growth rate under different scenarios of browsing pressure and initial sapling density. We also investigated how releasing oak saplings from all or specific neighbours during the simulation affect regeneration. We found that admixed species composition had a relatively weak effect on the density of oak recruits, but a strong effect on the duration of the regeneration phase. Oak regenerated faster when admixed with species of intermediate growth and low palatability (Fagus sylvatica) than with species of fast growth and high palatability (Carpinus betulus L.), except at intermediate sapling density and high browsing pressure where we found the opposite. Releasing oak from all competitors was most effective in promoting oak regeneration when admixed with both species together, although the benefit of competition release was much weaker at high browsing pressure. Lastly, we found that at low initial sapling density (i.e., 10 saplings/m ), oak regeneration was driven only by browsing and the effect of admixing species became negligible. Our study showed that admixing oak with palatable neighbours impedes rather than improves oak regeneration due to increased competition for resources. As such, we suggest that the benefits of herbivore diversion can be off-set by increased inter-specific competition.

Disciplines :

Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Barrere, Julien

Ligot, Gauthier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion des ressources forestières

Boulanger, Vincent

Collet, Catherine

Courbaud, Benoît

de Coligny, François

Mårell, Anders

Saïd, Sonia

Balandier, Philippe

Language :

English

Title :

Oak regeneration facing deer browsing: Can competition between saplings offset the diversion effect? A simulation experiment

Publication date :

March 2024

Journal title :

Ecological Modelling

ISSN :

0304-3800

eISSN :

1872-7026

Publisher :

Elsevier BV

Volume :

489

Pages :

110608

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0304380023003381?httpAccept=text/xml

Funders :

MOA - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China
French Biodiversity Office
MAA - Medieval Academy of America
ANR - French National Research Agency

Available on ORBi :

since 08 January 2024

Statistics

Number of views

95 (20 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

127 (8 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenAlex citations

Bibliography

Annighöfer, P., Ameztegui, A., Ammer, C., Balandier, P., Bartsch, N., Bolte, A., Coll, L., Collet, C., Ewald, J., Frischbier, N., Gebereyesus, T., Haase, J., Hamm, T., Hirschfelder, B., Huth, F., Kändler, G., Kahl, A., Kawaletz, H., Kuehne, C., Lacointe, A., Lin, N., Löf, M., Malagoli, P., Marquier, A., Müller, S., Promberger, S., Provendier, D., Röhle, H., Sathornkich, J., Schall, P., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schröder, J., Seele, C., Weidig, J., Wirth, C., Wolf, H., Wollmerstädt, J., Mund, M., Species-specific and generic biomass equations for seedlings and saplings of European tree species. Eur. J. Forest Res. 135:2 (2016), 313–329.
Annighöfer, P., Beckschäfer, P., Vor, T., Ammer, C., Regeneration patterns of European oak species (Quercus Petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Quercus robur L.) in dependence of environment and neighborhood. PLoS One 10:8 (2015), 1–16.
Baltzinger, M., Mårell, A., Deconchat, M., Barrier, R., Open game fences and their socio-spatial effects: Placing red deer, placing humans, managing territories. TRACE: Finnish J. Human-Anim. Stud. 4 (2018), 28–61.
Barrere, J., Interactions Entre Chêne et Cervidés Durant le Processus de Renouvellement-Cas Des Peuplements Forestiers Tempérés de Plaine (Quercus Petraea et Q. Robur). (Ph.D. thesis), 2021.
Barrere, J., Boulanger, V., Collet, C., Walker, E., Siat, V., Henry, L., Saïd, S., How does oak mast seeding affect the feeding behavior of sympatric red and roe deer?. Basic Appl. Ecol. 47 (2020), 1–20.
Barrere, J., Petersson, L.K., Boulanger, V., Collet, C., Felton, A.M., Löf, M., Saïd, S., Canopy openness and exclusion of wild ungulates act synergistically to improve oak natural regeneration. Forest Ecol. Manag., 487, 2021, 118976.
Bee, J.N., Tanentzap, A.J., Lee, W.G., Lavers, R.B., Mark, A.F., Mills, J.A., Coomes, D.A., The benefits of being in a bad neighbourhood: Plant community composition influences red deer foraging decisions. Oikos 118:1 (2009), 18–24.
Beguin, J., Tremblay, J.-p., Thiffault, N., Pothier, D., Côté, S.D., Management of forest regeneration in boreal and temperate deer – forest systems : Challenges, guidelines, and research gaps. Ecosphere 7:10 (2016), 1–16.
Bergquist, J., Löf, M., Örlander, G., Effects of roe deer browsing and site preparation on performance of planted broadleaved and conifer seedlings when using temporary fences. Scand. J. Forest Res. 24 (2009), 308–317.
Bergquist, J., Örlander, G., Browsing damage by roe deer on Norway spruce seedlings planted on clearcuts of different ages: 2. Effect of seedling vigour. Forest Ecol. Manag. 105 (1998), 283–293.
Bernard, M., Boulanger, V., Dupouey, J.-l., Laurent, L., Montpied, P., Morin, X., Picard, J.-f., Saïd, S., Deer browsing promotes Norway spruce at the expense of silver fir in the forest regeneration phase. Forest Ecol. Manag. 400 (2017), 269–277.
Berry, D.A., Logarithmic Transformations in ANOVA. Biometrics 43:2 (1987), 439–456.
Bertness, M.D., Callaway, R., Positive interactions in communities. Trends Ecol. Evol. 9:5 (1994), 191–193.
Bogdziewicz, M., Espelta, J.M., Muñoz, A., Aparicio, J.M., Bonal, R., Effectiveness of predator satiation in masting oaks is negatively affected by conspecific density. Oecologia 186:4 (2018), 983–993.
Borkowski, J., Dobrowolska, D., Dąbrowski, W., Banul, R., Załuski, D., Young conifer stands form a deer browsing refuge for an oak admixture: Silvicultural implications for forest regeneration under herbivore pressure. Eur. J. Forest Res. 136:5–6 (2017), 787–800.
Borowski, Z., Gil, W., Bartoń, K., Zajączkowski, G., Łukaszewicz, J., Tittenbrun, A., Radliński, B., Density-related effect of red deer browsing on palatable and unpalatable tree species and forest regeneration dynamics. Forest Ecol. Manag., 496, 2021, 119442.
Boulanger, V., Baltzinger, C., Saïd, S., Ballon, P., Picard, J.F., Dupouey, J.L., Ranking temperate woody species along a gradient of browsing by deer. Forest Ecol. Manag. 258:7 (2009), 1397–1406.
Boulanger, V., Rakotoarison, H., Conséquences des dégâts de cervidés sur la gestion durable des forêts : étude exploratoire. Rendez-vous Tech. 41–42 (2013), 51–58.
Champagne, E., Moore, B.D., Côté, S.D., Tremblay, J.P., Spatial correlations between browsing on balsam fir by white-tailed deer and the nutritional value of neighboring winter forage. Ecol. Evol. 8:5 (2018), 2812–2823.
Champagne, E., Tremblay, J.P., Côté, S.D., Spatial extent of neighboring plants influences the strength of associational effects on mammal herbivory. Ecosphere 7:6 (2016), 1–13.
Collet, C., Manso, R., Barbeito, I., Coexistence, association and competitive ability of Quercus Petraea and Quercus robur seedlings in naturally regenerated mixed stands. Forest Ecol. Manag. 390 (2017), 36–46.
Courbaud, B., De Coligny, F., Cordonnier, T., Simulating radiation distribution in a heterogeneous Norway spruce forest on a slope. Agricult. Forest Meteorol. 116 (2003), 1–18.
Cromsigt, J.P., Kuijper, D.P., Revisiting the browsing lawn concept: Evolutionary interactions or pruning herbivores?. Perspect. Plant Ecol. Evol. Syst. 13:3 (2011), 207–215.
Dandy, N., Ballantyne, S., Moseley, D., Gill, R., Quine, C., Van Der Wal, R., Exploring beliefs behind support for and opposition to wildlife management methods: A qualitative study. Eur. J. Wildlife Res. 58:4 (2012), 695–706.
De Jager, N.R., Drohan, P.J., Miranda, B.M., Sturtevant, B.R., Stout, S.L., Royo, A.A., Gustafson, E.J., Romanski, M.C., Simulating ungulate herbivory across forest landscapes : A browsing extension for LANDIS-II. Ecol. Model. 350 (2017), 11–29.
De Vriendt, L., Thiffault, N., Royo, A.A., Barrette, M., Tremblay, J.P., Moose browsing tends spruce plantations more efficiently than a single mechanical release. Forests 11:11 (2020), 1–16.
Dietz, L., Gégout, J.-C., Dupouey, J.-l., Lacombe, E., Laurent, L., Collet, C., Beech and hornbeam dominate oak 20 years after the creation of storm-induced gaps. Forest Ecol. Manag., 503, 2022.
Drożdż, A., Osiecki, A., Intake and digestibility of natural feeds by roe-deer. Acta Theriol. 18 (1973), 81–91.
Dufour-Kowalski, S., Courbaud, B., Dreyfus, P., Meredieu, C., De Coligny, F., Capsis: An open software framework and community for forest growth modelling. Ann. Forest Sci. 69:2 (2012), 221–233.
Felton, A.M., Hedwall, P.-O., Felton, A., Widemo, F., Wallgren, M., Holmström, E., Löfmarck, E., Malmsten, J., Karine Wam, H., Forage availability, supplementary feed and ungulate density: Associations with ungulate damage in pine production forests. Forest Ecol. Manag., 513, 2022, 120187.
Felton, A.M., Wam, H.K., Stolter, C., Mathisen, K.M., Wallgren, M., The complexity of interacting nutritional drivers behind food selection, a review of northern cervids. Ecosphere 9:5 (2018), 1–25.
Forsyth, D.M., Comte, S., Davis, N.E., Bengsen, A.J., Côté, S.D., Hewitt, D.G., Morellet, N., Mysterud, A., Methodology matters when estimating deer abundance: A global systematic review and recommendations for improvements. J. Wildl. Manage., 86(4), 2022.
Gaudio, N., Interactions Pour la Lumière au Sein d'un Écosystème Forestier Entre les Arbres Adultes, les Jeunes Arbres et la Végétation Du Sous-Bois. (Ph.D. thesis), 2010.
Helluy, M., Adapter la Gestion des Forêts Méditerranéennes au Changement Climatique: Rôle des Strates de Végétation et Modélisation Fonctionnelle de La Dynamique Forestière. (Ph.D. thesis), 2020.
Herms, D.A., Mattson, W.J., The dilemma of plants : To grow or defend. Q. Rev. Biol. 67:3 (1992), 283–335.
Hjältén, J., Danell, K., Lundberg, P., Herbivore avoidance by association: vole and hare utilization of woody plants. Oikos 68:1 (1993), 125–131.
Horsley, S.B., Stout, S.L., DeCalesta, D.S., White-tailed deer impact on the vegetation dynamics of a nothern hardwood forest. Ecol. Appl. 13:1 (2003), 98–118.
Jorritsma, I.T.M., van Hees, A.F.M., Mohren, G.M.J., Forest development in relation to ungulate grazing : A modeling approach. Forest Ecol. Manag. 120 (1999), 23–34.
Kobe, R.K., Pacala, S.W., Silander Jr., J.A., Canham, C.D., Juvenile tree survivorship as a component of shade tolerance. Ecol. Appl. 5:2 (1995), 517–532.
Kohler, M., Pyttel, P., Kuehne, C., Modrow, T., Bauhus, J., On the knowns and unknowns of natural regeneration of silviculturally managed sessile oak (Quercus Petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) forests — a literature review. Ann. Forest Sci. 77:101 (2020), 1–19.
Kramer, K., Groen, T.A., van Wieren, S.E., The interacting effects of ungulates and fire on forest dynamics: An analysis using the model FORSPACE. Forest Ecol. Manag. 181 (2003), 205–222.
Kuijper, D.P.J., Cromsigt, J.P., Churski, M., Adam, B., Jedrzejewska, B., Jedrzejewski, W., Do ungulates preferentially feed in forest gaps in European temperate forest?. Forest Ecol. Manag. 258:7 (2009), 1528–1535.
Kupferschmid, A.D., Greilsamer, R., Brang, P., Bugmann, H., Assessment of the impact of ungulate browsing on tree regeneration. Gonzalez Ronquillo, M., (eds.) Animal Nutrition - Annual Volume, 2022, IntechOpen, 1–19.
Ligot, G., Balandier, P., Courbaud, B., Jonard, M., Kneeshaw, D., Claessens, H., Managing understory light to maintain a mixture of species with different shade tolerance. Forest Ecol. Manag. 327 (2014), 189–200.
Ligot, G., Balandier, P., Fayolle, A., Lejeune, P., Claessens, H., Height competition between Quercus Petraea and Fagus sylvatica natural regeneration in mixed and uneven-aged stands. Forest Ecol. Manag. 304 (2013), 391–398.
Linnell, J.D., Zachos, F.E., Status and distribution patterns of European ungulates: Genetics, population history and conservation. Putman, R., Apollonio, M., Andersen, R., (eds.) Ungulate Management in Europe, 2011, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 12–53.
Löf, M., Barrere, J., Engman, M., Petersson, L.K., Villalobos, A., The influence of fencing on seedling establishment during reforestation of oak stands : A comparison of artificial and natural regeneration techniques including costs. Eur. J. Forest Res. 140 (2021), 807–817.
Lortie, C.J., Callaway, R.M., Re-analysis of meta-analysis: Support for the stress-gradient hypothesis. J. Ecol. 94:1 (2006), 7–16.
Maestre, F.T., Callaway, R.M., Valladares, F., Lortie, C.J., Refining the stress-gradient hypothesis for competition and facilitation in plant communities. J. Ecol. 97:2 (2009), 199–205.
Martin, J.-L., Chamaillé-Jammes, S., Waller, D.M., Deer, wolves, and people: Costs, benefits and challenges of living together. Biol. Rev., 4, 2020.
Mölder, A., Meyer, P., Nagel, R.V., Integrative management to sustain biodiversity and ecological continuity in Central European temperate oak (Quercus Robur, Q. Petraea) forests: An overview. Forest Ecol. Manag. 437 (2019), 324–339.
Morellet, N., Champely, S., Gaillard, J.-M., Ballon, P., Boscardin, Y., The browsing index: New tool uses browsing pressure to monitor deer populations. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29:4 (2001), 1243–1252.
Nichols, R.V., Cromsigt, J.P., Spong, G., DNA left on browsed twigs uncovers bite-scale resource use patterns in European ungulates. Oecologia 178:1 (2015), 275–284.
Niinemets, Ü., A review of light interception in plant stands from leaf to canopy in different plant functional types and in species with varying shade tolerance. Ecol. Res. 25:4 (2010), 693–714.
ONF, Ü., Sylviculture des chênaies dans les forêts publiques Françaises. Rendez-vous Tech., Hors série, 2010, 72.
Perea, R., Gil, L., Tree regeneration under high levels of wild ungulates : The use of chemically vs. Physically-defended shrubs. Forest Ecol. Manag. 312 (2014), 47–54.
Petersson, L.K., Dey, D.C., Felton, A.M., Gardiner, E.S., Löf, M., Influence of canopy openness, ungulate exclosure, and low-intensity fire for improved oak regeneration in temperate Europe. Ecol. Evol., 2020, 1–12.
Pfeffer, S.E., Spitzer, R., Allen, A.M., Hofmeester, T.R., Ericsson, G., Widemo, F., Singh, N.J., Cromsigt, J.P., Pictures or pellets? Comparing camera trapping and dung counts as methods for estimating population densities of ungulates. Rem. Sens. Ecol. Conserv. 4:2 (2018), 173–183.
Pfister, C.A., Hay, M.E., Associational plant refuges: Convergent patterns in marine and terrestrial communities result from differing mechanisms. Oecologia 77 (1988), 118–129.
Price, D.T., Zimmermann, N.E., van der Meer, P.J., Lexer, M.J., Leadley, P., Jorritsma, I.T.M., Schaber, J., Clark, D.F., Lasch, P., McNulty, S., Wu, J., Smith, B., Regeneration in gap models: priority issues for studying forest responses to climate change. Clim. Change 51:3 (2001), 475–508.
RCoreTeam, D.T., R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, 2019.
Ruttan, A., Lortie, C.J., A systematic review of the attractant-decoy and repellent-plant hypotheses: Do plants with heterospecific neighbours escape herbivory?. J. Plant Ecol. 8:4 (2013), 337–346.
Sonohat, G., Balandier, P., Ruchaud, F., Predicting solar radiation transmittance in the understory of even-aged coniferous stands in temperate forests. Ann. Forest Sci. 61:7 (2004), 629–641.
Stokely, T.D., Betts, M.G., Deer-mediated ecosystem service versus disservice depends on forest management intensity. J. Appl. Ecol. 57:1 (2020), 31–42.
Tixier, H., Duncan, P., Scehovic, J., Yani, A., Gleizes, M., Lila, M., Food selection by European roe deer ( Capreolus Capreolus): Effects of plant chemistry, and consequences for the nutritional value of their diet. J. Zool. 242 (1997), 229–245.
Tremblay, J.P., Huot, J., Potvin, F., Density-related effects of deer browsing on the regeneration dynamics of boreal forests. J. Appl. Ecol. 44:3 (2007), 552–562.
Underwood, N., Inouye, B.D., Hambäck, P.A., A conceptual framework for associational effects: When do neighbors matter and how would we know?. Q. Rev. Biol. 89:1 (2014), 1–19.
Unkule, M., Piedallu, C., Balandier, P., Courbaud, B., Climate and ungulate browsing impair regeneration dynamics in spruce-fir-beech forests in the French Alps. Ann. Forest Sci., 79(1), 2022, 11.
Van Couwenberghe, R., Gégout, J.C., Lacombe, E., Collet, C., Light and competition gradients fail to explain the coexistence of shade-tolerant Fagus sylvatica and shade-intermediate Quercus Petraea seedlings. Ann. Botany 112:7 (2013), 1421–1430.
Von Lüpke, B., Silvicultural methods of oak regeneration with special respect to shade tolerant mixed species. Forest Ecol. Manag. 106:1 (1998), 19–26.
Ward, A.I., White, P.C., Walker, N.J., Critchley, C.H., Conifer leader browsing by roe deer in English upland forests: Effects of deer density and understorey vegetation. Forest Ecol. Manag. 256:6 (2008), 1333–1338.
Ward, J.S., Williams, S.C., Linske, M.A., Influence of invasive shrubs and deer browsing on regeneration in temperate deciduous forests. Can. J. Forest Res. 48:1 (2018), 58–67.
Züst, T., Agrawal, A.A., Trade-offs between plant growth and defense against insect herbivory: an emerging mechanistic synthesis. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 68 (2017), 513–534.