DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7wm37pvzt
title: Data for: Effects of understory characteristics on browsing patterns of roe deer in central European mountain forests

description: Selective browsing by deer on young trees may impede the management goal
 of increasing forest resilience against climate change and other
 disturbances. Deer population density is often considered the main driver
 of browsing impacts on young trees, however a range of other variables
 such as food availability also affect this relationship. In this study, we
 use browsing survey data from 135 research plots to explore patterns of
 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) browsing pressure on woody plants in
 mountainous forests in central Europe. We fitted species-specific
 generalized linear mixed models for eight woody taxa, assessing potential
 effects of understory characteristics, roe deer abundance and lying
 deadwood on browsing intensity. Our study reveals conspecific and
 associational effects for woody taxa that are intermediately browsed by
 roe deer. Selective browsing pressure was mediated by preferences of
 plants, in that, browsing of strongly preferred woody taxa as for example
 mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) and of least preferred woody taxa e.g.,
 Norway spruce (Picea abies) was not affected by the surrounding understory
 vegetation, while browsing pressure on intermediately browsed species like
 for example silver fir (Abies alba) was affected by understory
 characteristics. Contrary to our expectations, roe deer abundance was only
 positively associated with browsing pressure on silver fir and bilberry
 (Vaccinium myrtillus), while all other plants were unaffected by deer
 abundance. Finally, we did not find an influence of lying deadwood volume
 on the browsing pressure on any woody-plant species. Overall, our results
 indicate that patterns in browsing preference and intensity are
 species-specific processes and are partly affected by the surrounding
 understory vegetation. Current management strategies that aim to reduce
 browsing pressure through culling may be inefficient as they do not
 address other drivers of browsing pressure. However, managers also need to
 consider the characteristics of the local understory vegetation in
 addition to deer abundance, and design species-specific plans to reduce
 browsing on woody plant taxa.
description: This datast contains data from a browsing survey in the southern
 Black Forest, Germany. On each of 135 one-hectare research plots all woody
 vegetation was assessed on three 2*15 m² transects. We closeley assessed
 up to 20 individuals for each taxa in a transect, while all individuals
 were counted. Additionally general characteristics of the understory
 characteristics like, cover, abundnance of woody plands etc. were
 assessed. For each individual woody plant, height, position to
 conspecifics and browsing intensity on the ten highest branches were
 assessed. All other variables were developed form this dataset, with the
 exception of the plot understory diversity which is published in the
 study: Helbach, J., J. Frey, C.
 Messier, M. Mörsdorf, and M. Scherer-Lorenzen. 2022. Light heterogeneity
 affects understory plant species richness in temperate forests supporting
 the heterogeneity-diversity hypothesis. Ecology and
 Evolution
 12:e8534.