Influence of forage biomass and cover on deer space use at a fine scale: A controlled-density experiment

Coulombe, Marie-Lou; Huot, Jean; Massé, Ariane; Côté, Steeve D.

doi:10.2980/18-3-3445

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Forbs have a higher net digestible energy than grasses and are the main dietary component of the Anticosti deer diet in summer (Huot ). Our results are supported by studies on habitat use demonstrating a positive association between deer distribution and plant biomass (Stewart et al , Rothley , Coulombe et al on Anticosti Island). Female deer on Anticosti Island selected both open habitats and peatlands at the habitat‐patch scale in summer (Massé and Côté ) but increased their use of forested area in late summer and autumn (Massé and Côté ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…On Anticosti Island, negative effects of density on body mass and fat reserves appeared stronger in habitats with low plant biomass, that is, high proportion of balsam fir stands or low proportion of open habitats. With increasing density, deer were also documented to trade‐off their use of dense‐canopy habitats for open habitats where plant biomass was greater, likely to minimize the effect of competition on body condition (Anticosti: Coulombe et al , Québec mainland: Rouleau et al , and Norway: Nilsen et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influences of habitat composition, plant phenology, and population density on autumn indices of body condition in a northern white-tailed deer population

et al. 2014

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Body condition has a strong influence on reproduction and survival. Consequently, understanding spatiotemporal variation in body condition may help identify processes that determine life history, and thus demography. The effect of environmental variables on individuals' body condition, although widely documented, is generally achieved by investigating habitat, plant phenology, or density separately, such that cumulative or interactive effects can rarely be considered. We investigated how spatial and annual variation in habitat composition, deer density, and vegetation productivity influenced white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) body condition during the breeding period. We detailed changes in body condition using several indices, including body mass, peroneus muscle mass, rump fat, kidney fat index, and antler size in >4,000 male and female deer of different ages harvested during September–December, 2002–2006 on Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada. Overall, females and yearlings harvested in fir forests were in poorer condition than those harvested in peatlands or spruce forests, whereas body condition of adult males was greater when open habitats were highly available. High deer density reduced autumn gains in fat, muscle mass, and body mass in males and yearlings, and in fat for females. Surprisingly, density positively affected the size of male antlers. High density at birth favored fat accumulation in adult females, suggesting strong selective pressure that removed low‐quality individuals in early age at high deer density. Low Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in spring was associated with delayed but rapid spring green‐up, and favored higher body condition in autumn. Reproduction affected most parameters of body condition; lactating females had less mass, fat, and muscle than non‐lactating females, whereas mass and fat of males >4 years old steeply declined during the rut. Body mass and fat reserves showed a stronger response to density, habitat, NDVI, and reproduction than muscle mass. Body mass was a good integrating measure of fat and muscle mass, although allocation between muscle growth and energy storage was confounded. Our study highlighted the influence of environmental conditions on individual fat reserves, muscle mass, and body mass in autumn, with potential effects on reproduction and winter survival. Appropriate monitoring of body‐condition indices in the fall can track the effect of environmental variables and management practices on animal populations. © 2014 The Wildlife Society

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of habitat composition, plant phenology, and population density on autumn indices of body condition in a northern white-tailed deer population

et al. 2014

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“…Similar to ibex, red deer might have abandoned part of their anti-predator behaviour as they can be observed grazing, resting and ruminating on the alpine meadows of the Trupchun valley during daytime [ 67 , 68 ]. However, besides the absence of predators and limited disturbance, finding ungulates foraging in open areas with higher plant biomass could also be an effect of high population densities [ 100 ]. When forage availability in habitats with more protection declines with increasing population numbers, the animals might be forced to use more open terrain for foraging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging ecology of three sympatric ungulate species – Behavioural and resource maps indicate differences between chamois, ibex and red deer

Schweiger

Schütz

Anderwald³

et al. 2015

Mov Ecol

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BackgroundThe spatial distribution of forage resources is a major driver of animal movement patterns. Understanding where animals forage is important for the conservation of multi-species communities, since interspecific competition can emerge if different species use the same depletable resources. However, determining forage resources in a spatially continuous fashion in alpine grasslands at high spatial resolution was challenging up to now, because terrain heterogeneity causes vegetation characteristics to vary at small spatial scales, and methods for detection of behavioural phases in animal movement patterns were not widely available. We delineated areas coupled to the foraging behaviour of three sympatric ungulate species (chamois, ibex, red deer) using Time Local Convex Hull (T-LoCoH), a non-parametric utilisation distribution method incorporating spatial and temporal autocorrelation structure of GPS data. We used resource maps of plant biomass and plant nitrogen content derived from high-resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy data, and multinomial logistic regression to compare the foraging areas of the three ungulate species.ResultsWe found significant differences in plant biomass and plant nitrogen content between the core foraging areas of chamois, ibex and red deer. Core foraging areas of chamois were characterised by low plant biomass and low to medium plant nitrogen content. Core foraging areas of ibex were, in contrast, characterised by high plant nitrogen content, but varied in plant biomass, and core foraging areas of red deer had high plant biomass, but varied in plant nitrogen content.ConclusionsPrevious studies carried out in the same study area found no difference in forage consumed by chamois, ibex and red deer. Methodologically, those studies were based on micro-histological analysis of plant fragments identifying them to plant family or functional type level. However, vegetation properties such as productivity (biomass) or plant nutrient content can vary within vegetation communities, especially in highly heterogeneous landscapes. Thus, the combination of high spatial resolution resource maps with a utilisation distribution method allowing to generate behavioural maps (T-LoCoH) provides new insights into the foraging ecology of the three sympatric species, important for their conservation and to monitor expected future changes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40462-015-0033-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…With the recent increase in habitat selection studies coupled with GIS-maps (reviewed by McLoughlin et al 2010, Cagnacci et al 2010, Frair et al 2010, it is often easy to lose track of what resource potential a habitat have to the animals. Several studies provide strong evidence of the importance of forage quality and quantity in patch and habitat selection (Langvatn and Hanley 1993, Hanley 1997, Coulombe et al 2011. Many studies of broader scale habitat selection rely on habitat maps constructed for other purposes (Godvik et al 2009, Loe et al 2011; as a result, resource levels are often not measured or are averaged at the level of habitat or patch type.…”

Section: Small-scale Spatial Variation In Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal scales of density‐dependent habitat selection in a large grazing herbivore

Blix

Mysterud

Loe

et al. 2014

Oikos

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Habitat selection is a density‐dependent process, but little is known regarding how this relationship may vary across different temporal scales. Over long time scales, grazing shapes the structure, diversity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, and grazing‐induced changes in forage production over time are likely to affect the level of density dependence in habitat selection. In this fully‐replicated, landscape‐scale experiment, we investigated how density‐dependent habitat selection by a large grazing herbivore, sheep Ovis aries, develops over the time scale of a decade. We also address an often‐neglected challenge in habitat selection studies; namely, whether there is variation in use within a particular habitat or vegetation type and why. We found clear evidence of density dependence in habitat selection, with a wider use of habitats at high density. Despite a change in the standing biomass of high‐productivity vegetation at high herbivore density over the years, with herb biomass declining and graminoid biomass increasing, there was no clear evidence that these grazing‐induced changes in habitat over the years were strong enough to affect the level of density‐dependent habitat selection. The difference in selection for high versus low‐productivity habitats remained similar, despite annual fluctuations in the strength of selection. We found strong variation in selection within each vegetation type, even when vegetation types were mapped at a fine‐resolution scale. Our study shows that despite the interactive effects of herbivores and habitats, they are not always sufficiently strong enough to affect the level of density‐dependent habitat selection.

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Influence of forage biomass and cover on deer space use at a fine scale: A controlled-density experiment

Cited by 12 publications

References 50 publications

Influences of habitat composition, plant phenology, and population density on autumn indices of body condition in a northern white-tailed deer population

Influences of habitat composition, plant phenology, and population density on autumn indices of body condition in a northern white-tailed deer population

Foraging ecology of three sympatric ungulate species – Behavioural and resource maps indicate differences between chamois, ibex and red deer

Temporal scales of density‐dependent habitat selection in a large grazing herbivore

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