Overlap in Diet and Habitat Between the Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Feral Ass (Equus asinus) in the Sonoran Desert

Marshal, Jason P.; Bleich, Vernon C.; Krausman, Paul R.; Reed, M. J.; Neibergs, Alex

doi:10.1894/0038-4909-57.1.16

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Tooth wear studies similarly suggested that horses consumed varying amounts of browse in northwestern Europe and eastern Beringia, depending on site and time (Rivals et al, , 2014Rivals and Lister, 2016;Semprebon et al, 2016), as well as inhabiting environments with varying levels of forest . Studies of modern Equus and Bison also indicate incorporation of some browse into diets (Craine et al, 2015b;Gębczyńska et al, 1991;Guthrie, 1990;Hansen, 1976;Kowalczyk et al, 2011;Marshal et al, 2012;Painter and Ripple, 2012;Peden et al, 1974;Schulz and Kaiser, 2013;van den Berg et al, 2015;Waggoner and Hinkes, 1986;Xu et al, 2012). Many Equus populations are grazers that consume minimal browse (e.g., Hansen, 1976), but browse is a dominant food in some populations of wild/feral Equus species either yearly or seasonally (Marshal et al, 2012;Schulz and Kaiser, 2013;Xu et al, 2012).…”

Section: Pleistocene Herbivore Nichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reframing the mammoth steppe: Insights from analysis of isotopic niches

Schwartz-Narbonne

Longstaffe

Kardynal

et al. 2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Pleistocene Herbivore Nichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reframing the mammoth steppe: Insights from analysis of isotopic niches

Schwartz-Narbonne

Longstaffe

Kardynal

et al. 2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Feral equids in excess of allowable management levels can reduce rangeland quality for other livestock and wildlife by reducing forage cover, increasing soil erosion, altering hydrologic processes, and competing with native wildlife such as bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; Berger 1985;Abella 2008;Marshal et al 2008Marshal et al , 2012Beschta et al 2013;Crist et al 2019). Feral equids negatively influence use of water sources by native species (Dunn and Douglas 1982, Ostermann-Kelm et al 2008, Hall et al 2018.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Abundance and Simulating Fertility Control in a Feral Burro Population

Gedir

Cain

Lubow³

et al. 2021

J Wildl Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Overabundant populations of feral equids are negatively affecting rangelands in the western United States. To better manage these populations, robust estimates of abundance and demographic rates and cost-effective methods of reducing abundance are necessary. From August 2015 to April 2017, we estimated the abundance of feral burros (Equus asinus) at the Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC; California, USA) using a double-observer-sightability aerial survey method; captured, radio-collared, and inoculated female burros with porcine zona pellucida (PZP), an immunocontraceptive control agent; estimated female demographic rates; and used matrix population models to simulate how changes in demographic and PZP delivery rates would influence burro abundance. We estimated there were 690 (95% CI = 618-752) feral burros within the surveyed area, but these are part of a much larger population that is not geographically isolated from those in the survey area. Sighting probabilities ranged from 0.19-0.98 and were most strongly influenced by distance from observer and group size. We estimated age-specific demographic rates at the NTC and compiled mean rates across burro populations in arid environments from the literature. Mean fecundity varied from 0.17 to 0.58 foals/adult female with younger females having lower fecundity. Mean survival was 0.90 for foals, 0.98 for yearlings, and 0.96 for adults. The PZP vaccine treatment strategies that suppressed fertility for up to 10 years predicted that burro abundance would be reduced by 67-88% after 15 years (compared with no treatment), but none of these strategies resulted in population extirpation. Population growth rates shifted from increasing to decreasing at adult survival rates below 0.84 and the population was predicted to become extirpated when adult survival declined to <0.60. In the absence of other methods to reduce burro numbers, our findings indicate that current formulations of PZP immunocontraception, which require multiple doses, would be inadequate for controlling population growth rates at the NTC. Our fieldwork also highlighted the difficulty of administering PZP vaccination to large, free-ranging animals. Development of longer-term fertility reduction agents or more efficient vaccine delivery techniques would likely improve the efficacy of fertility control for overabundant ungulate populations. Lack of geographic closure (physical barriers to migration) further complicated efforts to reduce burro numbers.

show abstract

“…In the study by Lundgren et al (2018), donkeys are framed as a keystone species for the facilitative role they play in generating a landscape more resilient to climate change. This is markedly different to the majority of articles that identify various issues associated with donkeys in dry arid landscapes in North America, particularly in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts (Hanley and Brady 1977, Beever et al 2006, Marshal et al 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Science and Knowledge of Free‐Roaming Donkeys—A Critical Review

Clancy¹,

Kubasiewicz²,

Raw³

et al. 2021

J Wildl Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emergence of free-roaming donkey (Equus asinus) populations globally has brought novel challenges for conservationists, land managers, and those concerned about animal welfare. We provide a review of the scientific literature pertaining to the place and role of free-roaming donkeys from 1950 until 2020. Using quantitative and qualitative techniques, namely categorical and thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis, to review >100 articles, we critically examine the logics and rationales that are used to either support or denounce donkey presence in particular landscapes and discuss their place and role in different ecological contexts. Free-roaming donkeys are largely understudied and clouded by dichotomous points of view, different conservation agendas, and the presence of other species in donkey habitat. There is an important need for more in-depth, site-specific studies on free-roaming donkeys that draw on tools and techniques from across the social and natural sciences. Such efforts would offer a richer, more holistic, and comprehensive picture of free-roaming donkeys that consider both human and animal perspectives and the wider environment. This has important implications for generating long-term sustainable management solutions for free-roaming donkeys.

show abstract

Overlap in Diet and Habitat Between the Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Feral Ass (Equus asinus) in the Sonoran Desert

Cited by 16 publications

References 40 publications

Reframing the mammoth steppe: Insights from analysis of isotopic niches

Reframing the mammoth steppe: Insights from analysis of isotopic niches

Estimating Abundance and Simulating Fertility Control in a Feral Burro Population

Science and Knowledge of Free‐Roaming Donkeys—A Critical Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About