Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Canada yew (Taxus canadensis) is a clonal shrub that forms discrete patches and was formerly an important component of forest understories in much of northeastern North America. Following Euro-American settlement, Canada yew has been extirpated or reduced in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Forestry Research |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/276583 |
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| author | Steve K. Windels David J. Flaspohler |
| author_facet | Steve K. Windels David J. Flaspohler |
| author_sort | Steve K. Windels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Canada yew (Taxus canadensis) is a clonal shrub that forms
discrete patches and was formerly an important component of forest understories in much
of northeastern North America. Following Euro-American settlement, Canada yew has been
extirpated or reduced in abundance throughout much of its former range, particularly in the USA;
winter browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has been implicated as responsible
for much of its decline. Little is known about the factors affecting deer browsing intensity on
Canada yew. We examined factors related to browsing intensity on Canada yew across
three spatial scales in 29 forest stands in Michigan, USA. Browsing intensity on stems was
related principally to two factors acting simultaneously across multiple spatial scales.
Browsing intensity was negatively related to amount of Canada yew at the scale of
the forest stand and negatively related to distance from the edge of Canada yew patches,
effectively creating refugia from browsing. The browsing patterns we observed suggest that
yew exists in two alternate stable states: (1) as loose aggregations of small stems or (2) large,
dense patches of large stems. The implications of changes in deer density or snow cover to the probability of local persistence of Canada yew are discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d51077316abd4078835f4a33b13f965d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-9368 1687-9376 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Forestry Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-d51077316abd4078835f4a33b13f965d2025-02-03T01:31:09ZengWileyInternational Journal of Forestry Research1687-93681687-93762013-01-01201310.1155/2013/276583276583Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)Steve K. Windels0David J. Flaspohler1Voyageurs National Park, National Park Service, International Falls, MN 56649, USASchool of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USACanada yew (Taxus canadensis) is a clonal shrub that forms discrete patches and was formerly an important component of forest understories in much of northeastern North America. Following Euro-American settlement, Canada yew has been extirpated or reduced in abundance throughout much of its former range, particularly in the USA; winter browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has been implicated as responsible for much of its decline. Little is known about the factors affecting deer browsing intensity on Canada yew. We examined factors related to browsing intensity on Canada yew across three spatial scales in 29 forest stands in Michigan, USA. Browsing intensity on stems was related principally to two factors acting simultaneously across multiple spatial scales. Browsing intensity was negatively related to amount of Canada yew at the scale of the forest stand and negatively related to distance from the edge of Canada yew patches, effectively creating refugia from browsing. The browsing patterns we observed suggest that yew exists in two alternate stable states: (1) as loose aggregations of small stems or (2) large, dense patches of large stems. The implications of changes in deer density or snow cover to the probability of local persistence of Canada yew are discussed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/276583 |
| spellingShingle | Steve K. Windels David J. Flaspohler Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) International Journal of Forestry Research |
| title | Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
| title_full | Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
| title_fullStr | Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
| title_short | Scale-Dependent Browsing Patterns on Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) by White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
| title_sort | scale dependent browsing patterns on canada yew taxus canadensis by white tailed deer odocoileus virginianus |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/276583 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stevekwindels scaledependentbrowsingpatternsoncanadayewtaxuscanadensisbywhitetaileddeerodocoileusvirginianus AT davidjflaspohler scaledependentbrowsingpatternsoncanadayewtaxuscanadensisbywhitetaileddeerodocoileusvirginianus |