Abstract
Damage by herbivore grazing negatively influences the development of subsequent forest generations. Little is known about the long-term impacts of grazing and interactions between grazing and light conditions on sapling growth after the cessation of herbivory impact. In this study, Taxus baccata saplings were grown over a period of four years in artificial shading at 2, 8, 30 and 100% of full sunlight (described as initial light). These saplings were planted in fenced and unfenced plots in a mixed forest in Poland. After six years with no protection from grazing, deer pressure was eliminated by fencing. In this study, we analysed sapling growth and needle morphology five years after deer suppression. Overall, grazing had a negative significant impact on the growth rate and needle morphology of T. baccata saplings. Saplings damaged by herbivores had a height increment approximately one-third that of non-grazed saplings. The grazed yew saplings had a lower needle area and length and a higher specific leaf area (SLA) than non-grazed saplings. Initial and current light conditions did not influence tree growth rates and needle morphology. However, we found positive correlations between sapling height and both leaf area and leaf length and a negative correlation between sapling height and SLA. Browsed yews also had a greater tendency to form polycormic (multi-stemmed) individuals. Lower growth rates, smaller needles and polycormic stems indicate a strategy of "escaping" herbivory pressure even five years after elimination of deer pressure.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing significantly reduced yew growth and altered needle morphology.
- Taxon
- T. baccata
Taxus baccatae0 - Treatment
- grazinge0
- Outcome
- growth rate and needle morphologye0
- Direction
- negativee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Overall, grazing had a negative significant impact on the growth rate and needle morphology of T. baccata saplings.”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazed saplings gained about one third the height of non-grazed saplings.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccata L.Taxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- damaged by herbivorese0
- Interactor
- herbivorese0herbivore
- Outcome
- height incremente0
- Value
- approximately one-thirde0
- Comparator
- non-grazed saplingse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Saplings damaged by herbivores had a height increment approximately one-third that of non-grazed saplings.”
t0“Taxus baccata L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazed yews had smaller needle area and length than non-grazed saplings.
Verbatim
e0“The grazed yew saplings had a lower needle area and length and a higher specific leaf area (SLA) than non-grazed saplings.”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazed yews had higher specific leaf area than non-grazed saplings.
Verbatim
e0“The grazed yew saplings had a lower needle area and length and a higher specific leaf area (SLA) than non-grazed saplings.”
Claim · model-written summary
Initial and current light conditions did not influence growth or needle morphology.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccata L.Taxus baccatat0
- Treatment
- Initial and current light conditionse0
- Outcome
- tree growth rates and needle morphologye0
- Direction
- did not influencee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Initial and current light conditions did not influence tree growth rates and needle morphology.”
t0“Taxus baccata L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Sapling height correlated positively with leaf area and length.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccata L.Taxus baccatat0
- Organ / stage
- leafe0
- Outcome
- sapling heighte0
- Direction
- positive correlationse0
- Qualifier
- leaf area and leaf lengthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we found positive correlations between sapling height and both leaf area and leaf length”
t0“Taxus baccata L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Sapling height correlated negatively with specific leaf area.
- Taxon
- Taxus baccata L.Taxus baccatat0
- Organ / stage
- SLAe0
- Outcome
- sapling heighte0
- Direction
- negative correlatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a negative correlation between sapling height and SLA.”
t0“Taxus baccata L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Browsed yews tended more strongly to form multiple stems.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Browsed yews also had a greater tendency to form polycormic (multi-stemmed) individuals.”
The same questions in other papers
light · growth · Taxus baccata (English yew)Positive and negative results
2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.