Early-stage impacts of sika deer on structure and function of the soil microbial food webs in a temperate forest: A large-scale experiment

▶ Deer were introduced into 2 enclosures (LD: 4 deer km−2, HD: 16 deer km−2) for 3 years. ▶ Deer reduced aboveground biomass of undergrowth without affecting leaf N content. ▶ Soil microbial biomass and NH4 pool were reduced by deer in LD, but not in HD. ▶ Nonetheless, total N mineralization potential wasn't affected in both enclosures. ▶ The stability of N mineralization may allow long-term persistence of undergrowth.