In deciduous forests of Pennsylvania in the United States, the climax community used to be composed of large trees of mostly oak, hickory, and tulip poplar, but over time the composition of the understorey changed to sugar maple and beech. What was the cause of this shift?

Question

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Deer browsing is a common problem in many deciduous forests and tends to reduce the population of species that are not browse tolerant. In this case, it is likely that deer browsing caused reductions in the original species, leading to a shift in the composition of the understorey to species that are more browse tolerant like sugar maple and beech.

In Deciduous Forests of Pennsylvania in the United States, the Climax