How does acidic or phosphorus-deficient local soil structure impact the nutritional quality of spring forbs?
Answer
The forbs will have a lower concentration of sequestered minerals despite looking lush
The nutritional quality available in forage plants, even lush spring forbs, is directly dependent on the foundational health of the habitat, specifically the soil chemistry. If the underlying soil is acidic or deficient in essential elements like phosphorus, the plants growing in that substrate cannot sequester those minerals into their tissue, regardless of how vigorous the vegetative growth appears. Consequently, a deer feeding heavily on these forbs will ingest a lower concentration of vital minerals, which can negatively affect crucial biological functions like antler development or the viability of fawns.
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