Pervasive moose browsing in boreal forests alters successional trajectories by severely suppressing keystone species

• Published in: Ecosphere (Washington, D.C) Vol. 9; no. 10
• Main Authors: Lorentzen Kolstad, Anders, Austrheim, Gunnar, Solberg, Erling J., De Vriendt, Laurent, Speed, James D. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.10.2018
• Subjects: Alces alces; biomass; Boreal forests; browsing; Bryophyta; bryophytes; Cervidae; clearcutting; Community composition; community structure; Competition; Coniferous trees; conifers; Deciduous trees; defecation; Demography; diversity; Ecological function; Economic importance; Ecosystems; Fennoscandia; Ferns; ferns and fern allies; flowering; Flowering plants; Flowers & plants; forest stands; Forestry; Herbivores; Herbivory; Herbs; Homogenization; Keystone species; Norway; Plant diversity; Population density; Silvicultural practices; silviculture; Sorbus aucuparia; species diversity; succession; Timber; timber production; Trampling; trampling damage; Trees; Understory; ungulates; Vegetation; Fennoscandia; Norway

Large herbivores can shape young forest stands and determine the successional trajectory of forested ecosystems by selectively browsing palatable species at the sapling stage. Moose (Alces alces) is the dominant vertebrate herbivore in Fennoscandian boreal forests, and high population densities have...