Why the study of deer poo in North Wales could shed light on the future of woodland conservation

A team from Bangor University conducted a study amid a growing concern that increasing deer populations are negatively impacting the health and regeneration of UK woodlands.

- Jason Boldero

However, according to the “surprising” findings published in the scientific journal Ecological Solutions & Evidence, deer may in fact be beneficial under some circumstances.

The researchers discovered that the deer are eating large quantities of bramble, which could serve to reduce that plant’s growth and prevent it from outcompeting the saplings of vulnerable tree and shrub species.

The researchers spent two years studying the diet of a fallow deer (Dama dama) population in the Elwy Valley in Denbighshire. This population originated from a large estate when the fences of a deer park were taken down during the First World War.

The deer have since expanded their ranges into the surrounding countryside and are causing concerns for biodiversity conservation, woodland regeneration and timber production.

The research team, based in the Molecular Ecology & Evolution at Bangor laboratory, used a new technology - DNA metabarcoding - to sequence the plant DNA present in around 350 fallow deer poo samples. These were collected in three woodlands in the Elwy Valley area in spring, summer, autumn and winter between 2019 and 2021.