#White-tailed deer and the science of yellow snownew research from wildlife ecologists at Michigan Technological University indicates that white-tailed deer may be making the soil in their preferred winter homes unfit to grow the very trees that protect them there.
Bryan Murray a Phd candidate at Michigan Tech and two faculty members Professor Christopher Webster and Assistant professor Joseph Bump studied the effects on soil of the nitrogen-rich waste that white-tailed deer
They compared eastern hemlock stands where deer congregated to stands where deer were fenced out and found a strong relationship between the amount of soil nitrogen from the deer's waste products
During cold northern winters deer seek out stands of evergreens with dense crowns such as eastern hemlock northern white cedar and balsam fir.
and blustery winds and to help deer hide from predators Murray explained. Deer instinctively seek deeryards
but their choice of location is passed knowledge from mother to fawn. Thus deeryards that are traditional favorites can harbor 100 deer
or more per square mile creating hotspots of high-nitrogen-content waste. Long ago before logging enabled the white-tailed deer to move further and further north
and before the deer population explosion more recently experienced the ecosystem stayed balanced because there were plenty of deeryards and fewer deer.
Now more deer are crowding into less winter cover shifting the dynamic balance of nature.
The Michigan Tech research demonstrates that the relationship of deer to their habitat is more complex than just the plants they eat Webster said.
Our hope is that by better understanding the links between habitat use and spatial patterning of resources
and plants in survivng hemlock stands we can identify sustainable management strategies for this critical resource.
It was fascinating to discover such complex interactions which have implications for sustainable management in a seemingly simple ecosystem Murray added Story Source:
The waterways are also corridors for deer and other big animals moving between the high country of the Diablo Range and coastal Big sur mountains that flank the valley.
and opossums in buckthorn invaded areas and significantly fewer white-tailed deer. Magle hypothesizes that the carnivores could be drawn to buckthorn areas
He suggests that deer may be avoiding these areas because buckthorn is an undesirable food source and also due to the increased prevalence of coyotes.
Research shows that deer fawns are a relatively common food item for Chicago-area coyotes.
#Roe deer more likely to be run over at nightfall on a Sunday in Apriltraffic accidents involving wildlife are on the rise in Europe.
and roe deer are most likely to take place. Car accidents involving animals are a serious and growing problem in Europe.
and roe deer come second in 37%of the accidents. The researchers analysed a database of 6255 accidents of this type.
Accidents involving roe deer occur more frequently between April and July particularly in April and May.
which the young roe deer born in the previous year are expelled from the group and start to look for a new territory explains Lagos
and roe deer are more active at dawn and nightfall which is reflected in the distribution of the accidents.
There is new evidence that the Schmallenberg virus can also spread to wild animal populations such as deer
#Resurgence of endangered deer in Patagonian#Eden highlights conservation successthe Huemul a species of deer found only in the Latin american region of Patagonia is bouncing back from the brink of possible extinction
and policing to prevent poaching in the Bernardo O'Higgins National park--a vast natural Eden covering 3. 5 million hectares--conservation efforts have allowed the deer to return to areas of natural habitat from
A national symbol that features on the Chilean coat-of-arms Huemul deer are estimated to have suffered reductions of 99 per cent in size since the 19th century according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Researchers believe 50 per cent of this decline has come in recent years with only 2500 deer now left in the wild.
and coupled with continued hunting of the species deer populations plummeted. The joint efforts of conservationists and researchers with government and private initiatives created a small number of field stations in this remote natural paradise on the tip of South america--one of the least populated areas of the world
not only stabilised but also began to increase with deer coming down from the hostile mountain areas it had sought refuge in
#First in depth deer census highlights need for increased culls, UK research showscurrent approaches to deer management are failing to control a serious and growing problem according to new research by the University
and muntjac deer in a unique study spanning the border of Norfolk and Suffolk. The results published today in the Journal of Wildlife Management show for the first time that present management efforts are not enough to stop populations spreading out of control.
There are more deer in the UK than at any time since the ice age. In the absence of natural predators populations are continuing to expand--causing a serious threat to biodiversity as well as road traffic accidents and crop damage.
and fertility of roe and muntjac deer across 234 km2 of forested land and heathland in Breckland East Anglia to measure the effectiveness of deer management.
while deer management appeared to control numbers at a stable level this was only because thousands of deer are pushed out'to the surrounding countryside each year helping drive the further spread of deer.
In the Breckland study area researchers identified a necessary cull of 1864 muntjac from an estimated population of 3516 (53 per cent)
and 1327 roe deer out 2211 (60 per cent) just to offset productivity with greater numbers needing to be culled
if populations are to be reduced. These figures greatly exceed previous cull recommendations for muntjac (30 per cent) and roe (20 per cent.
Lead researcher Dr Paul Dolman from UEA's school of Environmental sciences said: Deer management is often based on guesswork.
This is the first time that a population has been quantified and studied in terms of how the deer are breeding--to measure the effectiveness of deer management.
Dr Kristin Wäber who conducted the study while a Phd student at UEA said:
Native deer are an important part of our wildlife that add beauty and excitement to the countryside but left unchecked they threaten our woodland biodiversity.
Trying to control deer without a robust understanding of their true numbers can be like sleepwalking into disaster.
In Thetford Forest despite an active programme of professional management culling thousand of deer the numbers culled did not offset productivity.
This is a particular problem for nonnative invasive species like muntjac. In recent years people have become more and more concerned about the impacts deer are having in North america Britain
and elsewhere in Europe Increasing deer populations are a serious threat to biodiversity--particularly impacting on woodland birds such as migrant warblers and the nightingale.
They also carry diseases such as Lymes and if numbers are managed not properly they can cause damage to crops as well as road traffic accidents.
when woodlands are under so much pressure from deer. Current approaches to deer management are failing to contain the problem--often
because numbers are being underestimated. Cull targets are often too low. This research shows that an annual cull of 53 per cent for muntjac
and 60 for roe deer is necessary to curb their continuing increase and spread. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by University of East Anglia. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
if populations of caribou musk ox and other large herbivores remain intact. The study demonstrates that grazing by these large herbivores maintains plant species diversity
Some areas on which these warming chambers were placed were left open to grazing by caribou and musk ox--two ecologically important large herbivores in the Arctic--while separate 800-square-meter areas that also received warming chambers were fenced off to exclude the animals.
This study confirmed that caribou and musk ox act as a buffer against the degradative effects of warming on plant species diversity Post said.
On the other hand in those areas where caribou and musk ox were able to graze freely shrub responses to warming were muted
That is different from most species such as deer warblers and swallowtail butterflies whose populations tend to be regular around some average abundance based on food weather and other external factors says Matt Ayres a professor in the Department of Biological sciences at Dartmouth and senior author on the paper.
and are reachable for the rest of animals that seek this fruit during the autumn days (wild boar deer and mice among others).
Extreme weather potent force for Arctic overwintering populationsclimate change is known to affect the population dynamics of single species such as reindeer
or caribou but the effect of climate at the community level has been much more difficult to document.
because it is composed of just three herbivores in the winter--the wild Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) the Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea)
The ice keeps reindeer from grazing on their winter pastures and also reduces food accessibility for the rock ptarmigan
However the arctic fox which mainly relies on reindeer carcasses as its terrestrial winter food source didn't see a decline in its population size until a year after the herbivore die offs.
Even though the synchronized die offs decrease the number of live prey available for foxes to eat the high number of reindeer carcasses generates an abundance of food for foxes during icy winters and the subsequent spring and summer.
But almost no reindeer carcasses will be available during the following winter mainly because those reindeer that survived the previous winter are more robust and also subject to reduced competition for food resources.
At the same time none of the other herbivores is able to recover in the summer after the icing.
In addition to duck and amphibians moose and upland mammals use this habitat extensively. Having beaver on the landscape creates a lot of biodiversity.
In the U s. In virginia overabundant deer eat trees before they reach maturity while nitrogen pollution has changed soil chemistry in Canada and Panama.
This stemmed from an increase in the elk population which flourished on the pioneer flora growing on the newly emerged land.
which could not maintain the large elk population. After the end of the last ice age postglacial rebound caused the Earth's crust in eastern Fenno-Scandinavia to tilt increasing the amount of water
The archaeological study of bones in the area reveals that the significance of elk as game was much greater in the emerging culture compared with the cultures that came before or after it.
We are beginning to understand how pioneer growth on the emerging land increased the elk population
which provided a less ideal elk habitat than the recently-emerged land. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Helsinki.
but also infects cattle and goats as well as deer and other wild ruminants. In the U s. the virus'greatest economic impact is in the cattle industry
and unworked deer antlers--suggest that the Cetamura well like other water sources in antiquity was regarded as sacred.
New research from the University of Guelph reveals that arctic mammals such as caribou can metabolize some current-use pesticides (CUPS) ingested in vegetation.
This limits exposures in animals that consume the caribou--including humans. This is good news for the wildlife
and people of the Arctic who survive by hunting caribou and other animals said Adam Morris a Phd student in the School of Environmental sciences
They examined the vegetation-caribou-wolf food chain in the area where the presence of other organic contaminants such as legacy pesticides
Caribou are among the most important subsistence animals for people living in the North and the Bathurst caribou herd is particularly critical to the area's socioeconomic security.
Wolves like people are a top consumer of caribou. It is an important responsibility both for health
and for food security issues that Northerner's face that we monitor traditional food sources Morris said.
In caribou eating that vegetation CUPS were also present but they did not increase (biomagnify) significantly in caribou compared to their diet.
The concentrations were even lower in wolves suggesting sufficient metabolism of CUPS in both animals to prevent significant biomagnification.
#Moose drool inhibits growth of toxic fungussome sticky research out of York University shows a surprisingly effective way to fight against a certain species of toxic grass fungus:
moose saliva (yesâ#moose saliva. Published in this month's Biology Letters Ungulate saliva inhibits a grass-endophyte mutualism shows that moose
and reindeer saliva when applied to red fescue grass (which hosts a fungus called epichloã festucae that produces the toxin ergovaline) results in slower fungus growth and less toxicity.
Plants have evolved defense mechanisms to protect themselves such as thorns bitter-tasting berries and in the case of certain types of grass by harbouring toxic fungus deep within them that can be dangerous
We wanted to find out how moose were able to eat such large quantities of this grass without negative effects.
Inspired by an earlier study that showed that moose grazing and saliva distribution can have a positive effect on plant growth the research team set out to test an interesting hypothesis
--whether moose saliva may in fact detoxify the grass before it is eaten. Working in partnership with the Toronto Zoo the team collected saliva samples from moose and reindeer
which they then smeared onto clipped samples of red fescue grass carrying the toxic fungus simulating the effect of grazing.
because moose tend to graze within a defined home range it's possible that certain groups of plants are receiving repeated exposure to the moose saliva
Researchers who studied the vegetation-caribou-wolf food chain in the Bathurst region of Canada say that currently use pesticides enter the food chain
and the people of the Arctic who survive by hunting caribou and other animals said first author Adam Morris
Lyuba was found by reindeer herders in May 2007 on the banks of the Yuribei River on the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia.
#Hunting gives deer-damaged forests in state parks a shot at recoveryregulated deer hunts in Indiana state parks have helped restore the health of forests suffering from decades of damage caused by overabundant populations of white-tailed deer
and wildflowers rendered scarce by browsing deer. Jenkins said that while hunting may be unpopular with some it is an effective means of promoting the growth and richness of Indiana's natural areas.
But by the 1990s white-tailed deer populations in parks had swelled to such size that many species of native wildflowers such as trillium
and exotic species such as garlic mustard and Japanese stiltgrass plants not favored by deer. Oak and ash tree seedlings gave way to highly deer-resistant or unpalatable trees such as pawpaw.
The health of deer in state parks also dwindled as their food sources shrank. To check the overabundant deer populations the DNR introduced controlled hunts in state parks in 1993 with most parks adopting the strategy by 1996.
Hunting in natural areas is said controversial Jenkins. But when deer are overabundant they start to have undeniable negative impacts on the ecosystem.
Working with Christopher Webster a Michigan Tech University professor and Purdue alumnus Jenkins and then-master's student Lindsay Jenkins (no relation) tested the effectiveness of the hunting program by comparing the amount of plant
cover in 108 plots in state parks and historically hunted areas with 1996-97 levels.
With heavy populations of deer tree seedlings often don't have a chance to survive he said.
The deer management program is having a clear beneficial impact on Indiana parks and could serve as a good example for nature preserves with overabundant deer in other states.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Purdue University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
while it appears that reindeer use the heavily defoliated areas less. This is based on counting of the various animal droppings.
and less from reindeer Insect outbreaks mean browner sub-arcticseveral studies in recent years have pointed to the greening of the Arctic due to a warming climate.
He has studied the influence of carnivores on their prey--such as deer and elk--and on vegetation from aspen trees to willows.
Goats eat it deer eat it and birds eat the seeds all to no ill effects.
Animals such as white-tailed deer the Florida panther and migratory birds that depend on native vegetation such as mangrove for food
The current scarcity of dwarf birch seems to be a combination of the effects of global warming deer grazing and burning plants and trees on moors.
In addition to songbirds and woodpeckers boreal wetlands provide critical habitat for other park icons like moose loon and marten.
On the other hand transmission of prions between species for example from cows sheep or deer to humans is--fortunately--inefficient and only a small proportion of exposed recipients become sick within their lifetimes.
The scientists then exposed young mice to toxic misfolded prions from 8 different species including human cattle elk sheep and hamster.
Forest harvest creates a temporary opening that is needed by forest species such as butterflies and some birds and deer before it regrows to large trees.
#Excessive deer populations hurt native plant biodiversitytoo much garlic mustard growing in the forests of Pennsylvania?
Actually the problem may be too many deer. A new study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes that an overpopulation of deer is the primary reason garlic mustard is crowding out native plants such as trillium
which are preferred food for wild deer. Our findings show that there is a link between disruption of the native animal community
and invasion by nonnative plant species says Carol Horvitz professor of ecology in the University of Miami College of Arts
Deer density in the U s. is about four to 10 times what it was prior to European settlement of North america.
and Asia and is inedible by deer standards. It was brought to the United states--Long island N y. specifically--in the 1860s for use as a kitchen herb.
To study the effect of rampant deer on trillium and garlic mustard populations the researchers established multiple 196-square-meter plots in the forest.
Half were fenced to exclude deer. Years of observation and hours of statistical analysis later the team found that in plots where deer were excluded the trillium population is increasing
and the garlic mustard population is trending toward zero. This demonstrates that the high population growth rate of the invader is caused by the high abundance of deer says Susan Kalisz professor of evolutionary ecology in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Biological sciences and principal investigator of the study.
This effect is reversible with deer exclusion. The team's results support an ecological theory that native species in communities can exert biotic resistance.
This means that native plants as a group can successfully compete against invaders. If the native plants are allowed to thrive rather than being consumed by deer the combined natural competitive advantages of those plants--including trillium--allow them to repel the outsiders.
When people walk in the woods where deer are overabundant they don't realize what's missing Kalisz says.
They don't know what used to be growing there. They don't know that species are being lost
Reduce deer populations restore natives and prevent invasion. It's not simple Kalisz says. Deer management policies vary from state to state
and deer don't respect political boundaries. Some states keep deer populations low while others prefer to maintain higher populations to appeal to groups such as hunters.
Yet deer exact a toll not only on forest species but also farms orchards and even your car and your car insurance rate Kalisz says.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Miami. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference e
#Ants plant tomorrows rainforesttropical montane rain forests are threatened highly and their remnants are surrounded often by deforested landscapes.
#Reindeer grazing may counteract effects of climate warming on tundra carbon sinklocal reindeer grazing history is an important determinant in the response of an ecosystem's carbon sink to climate warming say researchers at the Arctic
A major portion of the Arctic is grazed by reindeer. In northernmost Europe the reindeer was domesticated a few centuries ago.
In a field experiment in northern Norway the effects of experimental warming were compared between lightly and heavily grazed tundra.
The significance of reindeer grazing history to tundra carbon balances has not been studied previously. The present results may modify climate models that predict the effects of global warming on global carbon cycles.
Different tundra systems possess highly varying grazing histories as a result of past and present reindeer management practices.
At the same time grasslands worldwide are being converted to pastures for domestic animals with native grazers like elk and antelope giving way to cattle and sheep.
cattle pronghorn and elk on North america's Great plains; wildebeests and impala on Africa's Serengeti;
#Deer proliferation disrupts a forests natural growthby literally looking below the surface and digging up the dirt Cornell researchers have discovered that a burgeoning deer population forever alters the progression of a forest's natural future by creating environmental havoc in the soil
and disrupting the soil's natural seed banks. The study Deer Browsing Delays Succession by Altering Aboveground Vegetation and Belowground Seed Banks was published online March 7 in PLOS ONE.
Deer are slowing down forest succession or natural establishment. In fact the deer are preventing forests from establishing says Anurag Agrawal Cornell professor of ecology
and evolutionary biology a co-author on the paper. Deer typically prefer to eat native woody plants
and rebuff invasive species. The study showed that when deer consume native plants the nonnative species are left to flourish dropping seed in the soil.
As forests normally mature their grasses give way to herbs and shrubs and then new trees eventually take root.
Expanding deer populations in the Northeast however stall forest development and promote the growth of thorny thickets of buckthorn viburnum and multiflora rose bushes.
If deer leave the forests alone such trees as cottonwood locust and sumac can sprout
and grow unimpeded. The researchers found that the impacts of deer grazing on vegetation were resulted severe
and in bare soil and reduced plant biomass less recruitment of woody species and relatively fewer native species. And the deer's negative impact on seed banks resulted in significantly decreased overall species richness and relatively more short-lived species
of both annual and biennial plants. Co-author Antonio Ditommaso Cornell associate professor of weed ecology and management and research technician Scott Morris gathered soil cores--from both within and outside of fenced deer exclosures
--and germinated the seed. They found the soil cores from outside of the exclosures contained many more seeds from nonnative species. Deer select forests for their trees
but in doing so disrupt forest system growth trajectories concludes the study. It's obvious that the deer are affecting the aboveground species
but it's like an iceberg. There are major effects below the soil surface. We are seeing a divergence of seeds contained within the soil from what should be there says Ditommaso We are not seeing the seeds of woody plants.
The multiyear study was conducted on Cornell land near Freese Road in Ithaca where the deer density is about 39 animals per square kilometer--about 10 times greater than it was before European settlement in the late 1700s.
#Deer feeding puts birds at risk, research showsby comparing the fate of artificial nests close
and far away from supplementary feeding sites located in the forest for ungulates such as deer and wild boar researchers found that those nests in the vicinity of feeding sites were depredated twice more.
These sites attract not only deer and wild boar--the boar is also a nest predator--but also corvids rodents bears and other species of nest predators
The spread of diseases for instance is one of the reasons why deer feeding has been banned in many regions of North america.
Many smaller animals birds elk and moose (which browse shrubs instead of grazing on grass) would have been in the shrub tundra he adds.
The sources included Nijmegen goats French deer sheep from Poland and Utrecht an Indian elephant from Burger's Zoo in Arnhem and zebras and an African elephant from Tanzania.
Over time it could improve practice with beef as well as milk herds and with other ruminants such as sheep deer and goats.
and food resources for a wealth of species including sage-grouse pronghorn and mule deer. Poor livestock grazing management invasive species such as cheatgrass transmission lines energy development and subdivisions are all contributing to the loss of this vital resource.
deer and â on overseas U s. military bases â animals including goats and pigs. Strikes also happen at all altitudes;
but deer still roam there. Best Time to Visit: Parks are open throughout the year
Another group tried deer hunting, and in one of the rare organizational slips of the week, forgot about chef Eric Werner and left him alone in the woods for half of the day.
'The buffalo in the prairies are our brothers and the same thing for the deer.
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