Comment: Ungulate herbivory of willows on Yellowstone's northern winter range: Response to Singer et al. (1994)

Abstract

In a recent JRM article, Singer et al. (1994) report results of a willow (Salix spp.) study on the northern (ungulate winter) range of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and immediate vicinity. The authors measured production, forage quality, moisture stress, and tannin content of growth shoots, all in relation to ungulate browsing, browsing-induced architectural variation, and altitude. In our view, the evidence presented does not support a number of the major inferences drawn, and in fact points to what in our judgement are more probable ones.