Wagstaff and Welch examined whether severe browsing by mule deer is limiting the growth and reproduction of mountain big sagebrush plants, on the Wastach Front in Utah. Mountain big sagebrush plants, protected from one winter of mule deer browsing, produced more seedstalks; however, seedstalk length was variable and not directly related to browsing. Seed germination and the number of mountain big sagebrush seedlings are most likely limited by environmental conditions, since protection from browsing had no effects on these variables. Therefore, the authors recommend periodic rest of preferred, overbrowsed mountain big sagebrush shrubs to enhance their growth and seed production. This way, when the appropriate environmental conditions occur, seeds will germinate and produce the next generation of shrubs for winter mule deer browsing.
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