I'll give you my answer from when I answered this question :) I hope this helps.
white tailed deer is a keystone species in ecosystems along the Eastern United States forests. This species has become over abundant in the recent years after hunting regulations, and habitat restoration laws have been put into place. The overpopulation of this animal has led to direct and indirect effects of the food webs that it is a member of. The lack of diversity within these habitats could have a large impact on local humans, and human activities. In order to restore balance, there have been solutions such as capturing and relocating this species to a more natural habitat, rather than white tailed deer having interaction with human society by living in suburban areas.
The overpopulation of white tailed deer has a direct impact on food webs and trophic levels due to the amount of browsing done by the species.
Browsing can be defined as harm brought to the assembly of a plant from a deer consuming the buds, leaves, flowers, or fruits. (Watson, Management Options for White-Tailed Deer)
The deer are mostly impacting producers, and leaf accumulation within their environment (Bressette, 1750).
The density of deer is directly related to the woody species density and diversity of ecosystems (Bressette, 1750).
These factors effect the nutrition flow within an ecosystem, which can then alter the way the corresponding species consume nourishment.
Tree seedlings are directly affected by an over abundance of white tailed deer.
This species digests about 10 pounds of vegetation daily, which includes tree buds (Cambronne,13).
The digestion of tree buds can limit the successful growth of important trees such as maple and oak. These trees are used as habitats, and also provide shade for species on the ground level.
Birds are typically indirectly affected by deer when the carrying capacity of this species is exceeded in an ecosystem (nature.org/too-many-deer)
The ground nesting birds are effected because soil vegetation is limited due to the nutrition flow that is changed because of the lack of producers that are on the ground level of the forest (Watson, Management Options for White-Tailed Deer)
These birds may not be able to successfully produce the next generation.
White tailed deer are very important species in forests and natural habitats in North America. Beginning in 2008, many case studies have been presented on the issue of the overpopulation of white tailed deer. The overpopulation of white tailed deer has been deemed an issue for many reasons such as a lack of diversity within forests, a decrease in predators, and an increase in human and deer interaction. The overpopulation of white tailed deer can indirectly and directly effect the ecosystem in which they are a member of, which can then alter the ecosystem of humans or human activities.
