Scopus:
Thorny shrubs limit the browsing pressure of large herbivores on tree regeneration in temperate lowland forested landscapes

dc.contributor.authorSalek L.
dc.contributor.authorHarmacek J.
dc.contributor.authorJerabkova L.
dc.contributor.authorTopacoglu O.
dc.contributor.authorMachar I.
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-12T01:51:50Z
dc.date.available2023-04-12T01:51:50Z
dc.date.issued2019-07-01
dc.description.abstractThorny shrubs are considered as an important driver in the natural development of temperate forest structures, particularly in European lowland forests. We assessed the current role of thorny shrubs in the regeneration of deciduous tree species under heavy browsing pressure in a central European temperate forested landscape. The study's military training area offered a unique opportunity to investigate the processes in which deciduous tree seedlings grew under thorny shrubs and in the close vicinity of thorny shrubs in a landscape with a high density of large herbivores (red deer and sika deer). We assessed the number of seedlings, species composition, seedling height, and degree of browsing damage, and their relationship to study plots elevation, thorny shrub species, coverage, and height. The regenerated tree seedlings were mostly detected as common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and wild cherry (Cerasus avium). The species of thorny shrubs were blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), and wild rose (Rosa sp.). We found that the thorny shrubs protected the tree seedlings from browsers to a large extent. However, the effects of thorny shrubs on the tree seedlings' characteristics varied among the shrub species. While results revealed significant effects of hawthorn and wild rose on the tree seedlings' abundance and survival, blackthorn's negative effect of shading the tree seedlings outweighed its protective role. These results indicated a possible mechanism that enabled the regeneration of deciduous tree species under large herbivore pressure. These results can be applied in the landscape planning and forest management of deciduous tree regeneration and forest restoration in temperate forested lowland landscapes, where high densities of large herbivores (without the presence of large predators) usually occur.
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/su11133578
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85068747679
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12597/5027
dc.relation.ispartofSustainability (Switzerland)
dc.rightstrue
dc.subjectBrowsing | Forest regeneration | Military training area | Red deer | Sika deer | Thorny shrubs | Vera's theory
dc.titleThorny shrubs limit the browsing pressure of large herbivores on tree regeneration in temperate lowland forested landscapes
dc.typeArticle
dspace.entity.typeScopus
oaire.citation.issue13
oaire.citation.volume11
person.affiliation.nameCzech University of Life Sciences Prague
person.affiliation.nameUniverzita Palackého v Olomouci
person.affiliation.nameKing's College London
person.affiliation.nameKastamonu University
person.affiliation.nameUniverzita Palackého v Olomouci
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-8270-4583
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-1885-7032
person.identifier.scopus-author-id23991617800
person.identifier.scopus-author-id57191618529
person.identifier.scopus-author-id13907684000
person.identifier.scopus-author-id56032298500
person.identifier.scopus-author-id56931340600
relation.isPublicationOfScopus65e614f4-8446-47ee-9ec7-3315f17f96eb
relation.isPublicationOfScopus.latestForDiscovery65e614f4-8446-47ee-9ec7-3315f17f96eb

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