Ecological impacts of deer overabundance

Deer have expanded their range and increased dramatically in abundance worldwide in recent decades. They inflict major economic losses in forestry, agriculture, and transportation and contribute to the transmission of several animal and human diseases. Their impact on natural ecosystems is also dram...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of ecology, evolution, and systematics evolution, and systematics, 2004-01, Vol.35 (1), p.113-147
Main Authors: Cote, S.D, Rooney, T.P, Tremblay, J.P, Dussault, C, Waller, D.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal diseases
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Boreal forests
Browsing
Carbon cycle
Deer
Deer hunting
Demecology
Ecology
Ecosystems
Environmental impact
Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.)
forest damage
Forest ecology
Forest ecosystems
Forest management
forest regeneration
Forest restoration
forest-wildlife relations
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Herbivores
literature reviews
Mammalia
Nutrient cycles
Plant species
Plants
population density
Relative abundance
Vertebrata
vertebrate pests
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Summary:Deer have expanded their range and increased dramatically in abundance worldwide in recent decades. They inflict major economic losses in forestry, agriculture, and transportation and contribute to the transmission of several animal and human diseases. Their impact on natural ecosystems is also dramatic but less quantified. By foraging selectively, deer affect the growth and survival of many herb, shrub, and tree species, modifying patterns of relative abundance and vegetation dynamics. Cascading effects on other species extend to insects, birds, and other mammals. In forests, sustained overbrowsing reduces plant cover and diversity, alters nutrient and carbon cycling, and redirects succession to shift future overstory composition. Many of these simplified alternative states appear to be stable and difficult to reverse. Given the influence of deer on other organisms and natural processes, ecologists should actively participate in efforts to understand, monitor, and reduce the impact of deer on ecosystems.
ISSN:1543-592X
1545-2069
DOI:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.35.021103.105725