Authors compared the morphology and shoot demography of Maianthemum canadense plants growing on low boulders and high boulders, to determine the impacts of white-tailed deer herbivory on this species. Plants growing on low boulders were exposed to grazing and had shorter basal leaves, fewer shoots and fewer flowering shoots than plants growing in the protected, ungrazed areas on high boulders. Plants growing on high boulders lost less carbon to herbivory and potentially gained more carbon via their greater photosynthetic area than plants exposed to deer browsing. Based on the results of the study the author concludes that the differences in aboveground plant growth and reproduction are caused by changes in the carbon budget of M. canadense plants caused by deer herbivory. Assuming that the socio-political pressure to maintain high deer populations does not subside in the near future, natural refugia such as boulders and steep slopes may become increasingly important for browse-sensitive species in coming years.
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