School of Forest Resources, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39755. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039755. Epub 2012 Jun 28.
Acidic deposition and subsequent forest soil acidification and nutrient depletion can affect negatively the growth, health and nutrient content of vegetation, potentially limiting the availability and nutrient content of forage for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other forest herbivores. Liming is a mitigation technique that can be used to restore forest health in acidified areas, but little is known about how it affects the growth or nutrient content of deer forage. We examined the effects of dolomitic limestone application on the growth and chemical composition of understory plants in an acidified forest in central Pennsylvania, with a focus on vegetative groups included as white-tailed deer forage. We used a Before-After-Control-Impact study design with observations 1 year before liming and up to 5 years post-liming on 2 treated and 2 untreated 100-ha sites. Before liming, forage availability and several nutrients were below levels considered optimal for white-tailed deer, and many vegetative characteristics were related to soil chemistry. We observed a positive effect of liming on forb biomass, with a 2.7 fold increase on limed sites, but no biomass response in other vegetation groups. We observed positive effects of liming on calcium and magnesium content and negative effects on aluminum and manganese content of several plant groups. Responses to liming by forbs and plant nutrients show promise for improving vegetation health and forage quality and quantity for deer.
酸性沉积以及随之而来的森林土壤酸化和养分枯竭会对植被的生长、健康和养分含量产生负面影响，可能会限制白尾鹿（Odocoileus virginianus）和其他森林食草动物的饲料可用性和养分含量。石灰处理是一种可以用于恢复酸化地区森林健康的缓解技术，但人们对其如何影响鹿饲料的生长或养分含量知之甚少。我们研究了在宾夕法尼亚州中部酸化森林中施用白云石对林下植物生长和化学成分的影响，重点关注作为白尾鹿饲料的植物群。我们使用了前后对照影响研究设计，在施用石灰前和施用石灰后 1 年对 2 个处理和 2 个未处理的 100 公顷地点进行了观察。在施用石灰之前，饲料的可用性和几种养分都低于白尾鹿最佳水平，并且许多植物特征与土壤化学有关。我们观察到石灰对草本植物生物量有积极影响，石灰处理区的生物量增加了 2.7 倍，但其他植物群没有生物量响应。我们观察到石灰对几种植物群的钙和镁含量有积极影响，对铝和锰含量有消极影响。石灰对草本植物和植物养分的反应有望改善植被健康和鹿的饲料质量和数量。
