OOS 46
Ungulate Overabundance As a Driver of Above- and below-Ground Interactions and Ecosystem Processes

Wednesday, August 12, 2015: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
310, Baltimore Convention Center
Organizer:
Colin G. Cope
Co-organizer:
Susan Kalisz
Moderator:
Susan Kalisz
Relative to historical records, forests worldwide are increasingly fragmented, invaded by exotic species and, experience unprecedented degrees of herbivore pressure when native and introduced ungulate populations become overabundant. Over the last half century, ungulate overabundance has been increasingly recognized as a major driver of ecological change in habitats ranging from remnant natural areas to old growth forests across tropical, temperate, boreal biomes. Our session will examine the extent to which overabundant wild and introduced ungulate species are central forces driving profound changes in both above and belowground communities and processes within forested ecosystems. Speakers will present data from temperate, boreal and tropical regions to address key questions including: What are the linkages between ungulates and aboveground and belowground processes in forest ecosystems worldwide? Do ungulates have additive or synergistic interactions with invasive species? Can ungulate effects be mitigated and biodiversity/ ecosystem function be restored? The talks will cover population-, community-, and ecosystem-level processes and consequences. This session will highlight exciting frontiers exploring the roles of myriad species interactions, expand our knowledge of ungulate impacts on forest ecosystem function and, point to the importance of expanded knowledge of the forest ecosystem as a whole.
1:30 PM
Experimental evidence linking overabundant deer to exotic invasion and native decline: Demographic and physiological mechanisms and consequences
Nathan Brouwer, University of PIttsburgh; Alison N. Hale, University of Pittsburgh; Susan Kalisz, University of Pittsburgh
1:50 PM
Influence of white-tailed deer and forest fragmentation on invasive introduced plants
Kristine M. Averill, The Pennsylvania State University, Cornell University; David A. Mortensen, The Pennsylvania State University; Erica Smithwick, The Pennsylvania State University
2:10 PM
Effects of overabundant deer in the lower Midwest on native biodiversity and interactions with invasive species
Keith Clay, Indiana University; Daniel Johnson, Yale University; Angela L. Shelton, Indiana University; Luke Flory, University of Florida; Cynthia D. Huebner, USDA Forest Service
2:30 PM Cancelled
OOS 46-4
2:50 PM
Influences of white-tailed deer on plant community assembly in northern temperate forests
Autumn E. Sabo, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Phil Jones, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jodi Forrester, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Katie Frerker, USDA Forest Service; Scott Larson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dustin Bronson, WI Department of Natural Resources; Alejandro A. Royo, USDA Forest Service; Timothy R. Van Deelen, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Susan Paskewitz, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Donald Waller, University of Wisconsin-Madison; David Mladenoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Eric L. Kruger, University of Wisconsin-Madison
3:10 PM
3:20 PM
From mosses to birds: What biodiversity in forests with deer, and no carnivores?
Jean-Louis Martin, Center for Evolutionary and Functional Ecology (CNRS)
3:40 PM
The role of native ungulates and invasive earthworms in shaping plant and soil communities in northeast Ohio
Colin G. Cope, Case Western Reserve University; David J. Burke, The Holden Arboretum; Jean H. Burns, Case Western Reserve University
4:00 PM
Large ungulates, landscape dynamics, and forest succession in a changing climate
Lee E. Frelich, University of Minnesota; Nicholas Fisichelli, National Park Service; Nico Eisenhauer, Leipzig University; Peter B. Reich, University of Minnesota
4:20 PM Cancelled
OOS 46-9
Structural effects of overabundant white-tailed deer in boreal forest ecosystems: A review of 20 years of research on Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada (widthdrawn)
Julien Beguin, Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke, Service canadien des Forêts / Canadian Forest Service; Jean-Pierre Tremblay, Université Laval, Centre d'étude de la forêt; Steeve D. Côté, Université Laval