Abstract
To clarify the impact of sika deer (Cervus nippon Temminck) browsing on the diversity of grassland plant species in a well-maintained Miscanthus sinensis community in a high-density area of sika deer, we established deer-proof fences in a M. sinensis community and surveyed the occurrence and coverage of each species inside and outside the fences in the town of Kamikawa, Hyogo Prefecture. The number of grassland plant species excluding M. sinensis, the total coverage of grassland plants excluding M. sinensis, and the total coverage of forb plants were significantly lower outside the fences than inside. Similarly, the coverage of both species was significantly lower outside the fences than inside. Eight species grew only inside the fences. These species disproportionately occurred inside the fences and contributed a total of 33% of the total coverage of forb plants inside the fences. These findings suggest that browsing by sika deer has had a negative impact on the species diversity of the M. sinensis community. In particular, our findings suggest that browsing has a potentially negative impact on several specific species. M. sinensis-dominated grassland maintained in good condition is at risk of losing its species diversity through sika deer browsing in areas of high sika deer density.
