Premium
Summer forage biomass and the importance of litterfall for a high‐density sika deer population
Author(s) -
MIYAKI Masami,
KAJI Koichi
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1703.2004.00651.x
Subject(s) - deciduous , understory , plant litter , biomass (ecology) , forage , productivity , population , litter , biology , population density , agronomy , grassland , cervus , ecology , ecosystem , canopy , demography , macroeconomics , sociology , economics
The biomass of summer forage and their contributions were surveyed to show that litterfall supported a high‐density population of sika deer ( Cervus nippon Temminck) in summer on Nakanoshima Island, Toya Lake, Japan. In July 1974, the grassland had the highest productivity among understory vegetations (228 ± 55 kg ha −1 : mean ± SE). In deciduous forests, palatable plants occupied only 0.1% of the biomass of 0.872 ± 0.366 kg ha −1 , and deciduous leaves within the reach of deer (=220 cm at height) produced 0.208 ± 0.070 kg ha −1 . However, litterfall during this period had the highest productivity, 28.7 ± 5.3 kg ha −1 . The deer consumed litterfall (75.6% in dry weight), short grasses (17.2%), deciduous forest understory (4.1%), deciduous leaves within the reach of deer (3.0%) and conifer plantation under story (0.1%). It is suggested that the high‐density deer population would be maintained by litterfall through the year instead of browsing in deciduous forests, which has been overlooked.