It has been suggested sika deer browsing disturbs regeneration of forest trees by influencing growth and survival of particular tree species. However, it remains uncertain whether deer browsing would has a long term effect on forest composition through extinction of some species favored by deer.

Here, we show how deer browsing influences regeneration of a particular species favored by deer by simulation with SEIB-DGVM.

We made fieldworks in Yaku island understory vegetation is heavily browsed by deer and fences to protect vegetation have been made in many locations.

We made plots at inside and outside of fences in Mt. Aiko. We measured tree heights of Camellia japonica, Cinnamomum yabunikkei, Litsea acuminate,Neolitsea aciculate, and Neolitsea sericea in July and November. Annual mortality was significantly higher at outside than at inside for C. yabunikkei , L. acuminate, and N. aciculate, suggesting an influence of deer browsing.

Using those data, we simulated changes in species composition over 100 years. As a result, all species including heavily browsed species survived. The result implies any effect of browsing on species composition could occur in the term longer than 100 years.