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G.A.Wright_MSthesis.pdf (2.56 MB)

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WHITE-TAILED DEER BROWSE PREFERENCE FOR AN INVASIVE SHRUB, AMUR HONEYSUCKLE, DEPENDS ON WOODY SPECIES COMPOSITION

Wright, Gabrielle A., Wright
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1411-7248
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1510834316256772

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, Miami University, Botany.
Selectivity by overabundant, generalist herbivores leads to intensive browsing on preferred species, which may allow less-preferred invasive species to flourish. Recent work from our lab indicated that an invasive shrub (Lonicera maackii) comprises a large proportion of deer diet in Miami University Natural Areas, but this may reflect high frequency of L. maackii rather than preference. I tested three hypotheses: (1) Deer prefer to browse on L. maackii versus other woody plants, (2) L. maackii is not a preferred source of browse, but consumed when alternative foods are depleted or (3) L. maackii is a unique food resource for deer, e.g. a nutritious food during a season of scarcity. We assessed preference for L. maackii and co-occurring woody plants across 8 sites in southwest Ohio by counting browsed and unbrowsed twigs of each species and calculated an electivity index.L. maackii electivity was negative at most sites, indicating it is not preferred, but lack of support for a negative trend between L. maackii browse and more-preferred twig densities indicates it is not strictly low preference. A negative trend betweenL. maackiibrowse and L. maackii density supports the importance of L. maackii as a source of browse during early spring.
David Gorchov (Advisor)
Richard Moore (Committee Member)
Thomas Crist (Committee Member)
59 p.
Ecology; Plant Sciences
invasive plants; deer browse; deer preference; electivity; Amur honeysuckle;

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Citations

  • Wright, Wright, G. A. (2017). WHITE-TAILED DEER BROWSE PREFERENCE FOR AN INVASIVE SHRUB, AMUR HONEYSUCKLE, DEPENDS ON WOODY SPECIES COMPOSITION [Master's thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1510834316256772

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wright, Wright, Gabrielle. WHITE-TAILED DEER BROWSE PREFERENCE FOR AN INVASIVE SHRUB, AMUR HONEYSUCKLE, DEPENDS ON WOODY SPECIES COMPOSITION. 2017. Miami University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1510834316256772.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wright, Wright, Gabrielle. "WHITE-TAILED DEER BROWSE PREFERENCE FOR AN INVASIVE SHRUB, AMUR HONEYSUCKLE, DEPENDS ON WOODY SPECIES COMPOSITION." Master's thesis, Miami University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1510834316256772

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami1510834316256772
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This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.