Seeing the Forest for the Deer: Plant Abundance and Diversity at the Gault Nature Reserve During a Spike in White-Tailed Deer

Abstract

Background: Deer populations have been rising across North America for decades. At the Gault Nature Reserve in Quebec, half of which is open to the public, the population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has exceeded the region’s carrying capacity, estimated to be 5 deer/km², since 1996. Given that heavy grazing profoundly impacts forests, the purpose of this paper was to investigate the potential influence of white-tailed deer on plant abundance and diversity at the Gault Nature Reserve. We hypothesized that the abundance of deer, and by extension the effect of deer on vegetation, was negatively correlated with the proximity and frequency of human visitors on pedestrian trails. Our alternative hypothesis was that the effect of deer on vegetation was positively correlated with human disturbance, which is greater on the public side of the reserve.

Methods: We recorded the abundance and diversity of vascular plants along 14 transects of increasing distance from pedestrian trails on the public and private sides of the reserve.

Results: Contrary to our hypothesis, generalized linear models indicated that overall, plant abundance and diversity declined significantly as the distance from trails increased and that the effect of distance was significantly different on the two sides of the reserve. Pearson correlation tests revealed that there was not a significant correlation between distance and plant abundance and diversity on the public side, although there was a significantly negative correlation between these variables on the private side.

Limitations: White-tailed deer were not directly studied, which limited the inferences that could be made about their influence on plant abundance and diversity.

Conclusion: The distance from trails was a strong determinant of plant abundance and diversity on the private of the reserve, but not on the public side, possibly because trail edges generally receive more sunlight and because the increased number of trails on the public side may have confounded our results. Although we did not find support for our hypothesis, the influence of trail edges on plant communities was reinforced. Researchers should continue to monitor the influence of white-tailed deer and forest managers should be mindful of edge effects when making decisions.