Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025
09:09
Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
Published on: August 8, 2017
7.8K
Herbivory and climate as drivers of woody plant growth: Do deer decrease the impacts of warming?
Katariina E M Vuorinen1, Shaila J Rao2, Alison J Hester3
1Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NO-7491, Norway.
Summary
Climate change and red deer herbivory interactively affect woody plant growth at forest ecotones. Understanding these combined impacts is crucial for effective reforestation and landscape management strategies in changing environments.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Forest Science
Background:
- Vegetation at ecotones is influenced by climate change and large herbivore densities, driving shifts in woody plant dominance.
- Effective management requires understanding the interplay between browsing pressure and climatic factors on plant growth at biome borders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To disentangle the interactive effects of red deer (Cervus elaphus) herbivory and temperature on woody plant growth at Scottish forest-moorland ecotones.
- To inform adaptive management strategies for reforestation goals under predicted climate change scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Combined long-term tree growth monitoring and dendroecology to analyze woody plant growth responses.
- Investigated growth under varying temperatures and red deer herbivory pressures.
Main Results:
- Deer herbivory and climate showed significant interactive effects on pine (Pinus sylvestris) growth; warming effects were modulated by browsing intensity.
- Pine growth decreased with higher deer density and increased with temperature, but warming negatively impacted growth when over 60% of shoots were browsed.
- Heather (Calluna vulgaris) growth responded negatively to temperature, with deer impact shifting from negative to positive below 6.0°C.
Conclusions:
- Temperature and herbivory have interactive effects on woody plant growth at biome transitions, necessitating consideration of both factors.
- Climate-driven growth increases can be negated by herbivory, highlighting the importance of integrated management of climate and deer populations for successful reforestation.
Keywords:
Scotlandadaptive managementbrowsingclimate changedeerecotoneheatherherbivorypinereforestationshrubsMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
26.4K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
26.4K
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
20.9K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
20.9K
02:36Meristems and Plant Growth
48.7K
Plants grow throughout their lives; this is called indeterminate growth, and it distinguishes plants from most animals. Although certain parts of plants stop growing (e.g., leaves and flowers), others grow continuously—like roots and stems.
48.7K
01:50Global Climate Change
28.4K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
28.4K
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
14.5K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
14.5K
02:40Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores
16.4K
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...
16.4K