Impacts of riparian plant degradation due to deer overbrowsing on food resources for stream fishes

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25870208
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Aquatic bioproduction science; Forest science
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Principal Investigator: SAKAI Masaru 東京農工大学, 農学部, 助教 (10636343)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: シカ食害 / 河畔林 / 渓流 / 底生動物 / 魚類 / 餌資源

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study evaluated impacts of deer overbrowsing on stream ecosystems through riparian forest degradations. Samples of periphyton, benthic invertebrates and fishes were collected for comparing stream food web structures between deer-excluded and control sites. Moreover, quality and quantity of food resources for fishes were evaluated based on falling and drifting materials and gut contents of fishes. These investigations suggest that impacts of deer overbrowsing can further propagate to fish communities through alterations of food resource flows within stream and riparian forest ecosystems.

Free Research Field

河川生態学