Large herbivore effects on songbirds in boreal forests: lessons from deer introduction on Anticosti Island

Abundant white-tailed deer populations on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada, have significantly altered boreal forest understory vegetation and homogenized songbird communities by reducing the presence of understory-dependent species. Compared to the neighbouring Mingan Archipelago, where deer are absent, balsam fir stands on Anticosti showed a sevenfold lower mean cover of trees at 0–2 m height, leading to less diverse songbird communities. The study suggests that intensive browsing by deer triggers trophic cascades, affecting animal diversity in boreal forests, albeit with less dramatic effects than observed in temperate forests. This research underscores the negative impacts of high herbivore densities on ecosystem dynamics and highlights the role of top-down factors in regulating community structure.

Cardinal, E., Martin, J.-L., & Côté, S. D. (2012). Large herbivore effects on songbirds in boreal forests: lessons from deer introduction on Anticosti Island. Écoscience, 19(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.2980/19-1-3441