Abstract
Plant responses to mammalian herbivores can be manifold. Browsing by large mammals such as moose may change plant growth and morphology, which, in turn, will change the food quality and availability for e.g. invertebrate herbivores sharing the same forage plant. Furthermore, the intensity and timing of herbivory may affect plant responses and future herbivore attack. In a field experiment, we tested whether simulated summer browsing and natural winter browsing by moose affects growth and morphology of birch Betula pendula, and whether possible changes had effects on abundance and defoliation by herbivorous invertebrates. The simulated summer browsing treatment was applied in two intensities (50% and 100% defoliation of long shoots) during two different periods of the growth season (mid-June and mid-July). Simulated summer browsing delayed the timing of budburst, reduced height and diameter growth and resulted in reduced defoliation by invertebrate herbivores indicating an induced defence. Winter browsing by moose reduced diameter growth, leaf biomass of short shoots but increased height growth, the abundance of aphids and defoliation by insect herbivores. The effects of herbivory on the timing of budburst, leaf biomass of long and short shoots and the abundance of aphids were more pronounced when the birches were both browsed in winter and artificially stripped. The timing of the artificial leaf stripping treatment was important for nearly all tested variables. Concluding, summer and winter browsing by moose can have opposing or additive effects on plant morphology and growth. Therefore, also indirect effects of mammalian herbivory on invertebrate communities feeding on the same plant may differ, depending on the browsing intensity, the season of browsing and even the timing of browsing within the same season.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Summer browsing delayed birch budburst.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Simulated summer browsing delayed the timing of budburst”
t0“Birch”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer browsing reduced birch height and diameter growth.
- Taxon
- bircht0
- Treatment
- Simulated summer browsinge1
- Outcome
- height and diameter growthe0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“reduced height and diameter growth”
t0“Birch”
e1“Simulated summer browsing delayed the timing of budburst”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer browsing reduced invertebrate defoliation of birch.
- Taxon
- bircht0
- Treatment
- Simulated Summer Browsinge1
- Interactor
- invertebrate herbivorese0herbivore
- Outcome
- defoliation by invertebrate herbivorese0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“resulted in reduced defoliation by invertebrate herbivores”
t0“Birch”
e1“Simulated summer browsing delayed the timing of budburst”
Claim · model-written summary
Winter moose browsing reduced birch diameter growth and short shoot leaf biomass.
- Taxon
- bircht0
- Treatment
- Winter browsing by moosee0
- Interactor
- moosee0herbivore
- Outcome
- diameter growth, leaf biomass of short shootse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Winter browsing by moose reduced diameter growth, leaf biomass of short shoots”
t0“Birch”
Claim · model-written summary
Winter moose browsing increased birch height growth.
- Taxon
- bircht0
- Treatment
- Winter browsing by moosee0
- Interactor
- moosee0herbivore
- Outcome
- height growthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Winter browsing by moose reduced diameter growth, leaf biomass of short shoots but increased height growth”
t0“Birch”
Claim · model-written summary
Winter moose browsing increased aphid abundance and insect defoliation.
- Taxon
- bircht0
- Treatment
- Winter browsing by moosee1
- Interactor
- aphidsAphidomorphae0herbivore
- Second interactor
- insect herbivorese0herbivore
- Outcome
- abundance of aphids and defoliation by insect herbivorese0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“increased height growth, the abundance of aphids and defoliation by insect herbivores”
t0“Birch”
e1“Winter browsing by moose reduced diameter growth, leaf biomass of short shoots”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined winter browsing and artificial stripping produced stronger effects on budburst, shoot leaf biomass and aphid abundance.
- Treatment
- both browsed in winter and artificially strippede0
- Interactor
- aphidsAphidomorphae0herbivore
- Outcome
- effects of herbivory on the timing of budburst, leaf biomass of long and short shoots and the abundance of aphidse0
- Direction
- more pronouncede0
BetulaOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The effects of herbivory on the timing of budburst, leaf biomass of long and short shoots and the abundance of aphids were more pronounced when the birches were both browsed in winter and artificially stripped.”
Claim · model-written summary
The timing of artificial leaf stripping mattered for nearly all tested variables.
Verbatim
e0“The timing of the artificial leaf stripping treatment was important for nearly all tested variables.”
t0“Birch”