Waihaha deer study area
Waihaha Ecological Area is part of Pureora Forest Park, which lies west of Lake Taupo in the North Island.
Map showing Pureora Forest Park,
which lies west of Lake Taupo in the
North Island
Our study area incorporates the eastern side of the Hauhungaroa Range, and lies south of Waihora Stream and north of Whanganui Stream. There is dense podocarp forest at lower altitudes, a mixture of podocarps, kamahi and other hardwood trees at mid-altitudes, and a forest of Hall's totara and hardwood trees like kamahi, Quintinia and broadleaf growing on upper slopes.
We narrowed down the list of plants to study at Waihaha using this process:
Step Process
Question 1
Is the plant frequently eaten by deer?
Yes: Got to step 2
No: Go to step 6
Question 2
Does the plant contribute to forest structure?
Yes: Go to step 4
No: Go to step 3
Question 3
Do native birds use parts of this plant?
Yes: Go to step 4
No: Go to step 6
Question 4
Can the plant grow as an epiphyte?
Yes: Go to step 6
No: Go to step 5
Question 5
This is a structural or food plant at risk from deer.
Question 6
Ends
We reasoned that trees which make up the canopy play a very large role in controlling what else can live at the site. They create the structure of the forest, and if deer ate too many young trees from one of the canopy populations, the future structure of the forest might change in a way we don't want. Plants that live under these canopy trees and in the gaps made by the death of a canopy tree often have shorter life spans, and may be rather patchy in their distribution in the forest. They come and go, without changing the essential character of the forest. However, their leaves and fruit are food for forest animals, including birds. If any of these understorey plants are eaten by deer, it could change the biomass of food available for animals.
At Waihaha, putaputaweta (marbleleaf) is an important food plant for deer and seldom grows as an epiphyte. Birds like kokako eat the leaves as well as the fruits. We will tag putaputaweta seedlings and measure their growth and survival. We predict faster growth and better survival for seedlings in the treated block (where deer will be controlled), compared with seedlings in the untreated block. We will also measure how the biomass of foliage is affected by deer control, for a whole range of plants eaten and avoided by deer that produce fruits eaten by birds.
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