Potential Nutritional Limitations for Black-Tailed Deer in a Spruce-Hemlock Forest, Southeastern Alaska

Hanley, Thomas A.; McKendrick, Jay D.

doi:10.2307/3801853

Cited by 45 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…Individuals meet their energy requirements from catabolism of body reserves (DelGiudice et al 1988) and ingestion of woody browse which is low in energy content (Ullrey et al 1970). In these conditions, winter is obviously energetically stressful for deer (Hanley and McKendrick 1985;Worden and Pekins 1995). Massive starvation can occur during snowy winters, as has already been observed at the study site (Potvin et al 1981).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Food choice by white-tailed deer in relation to protein and energy content of the diet: a field experiment

et al. 1998

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Optimality models of food selection by herbivores assume that individuals are capable of assessing forage value, either directly through the currency used in the model or indirectly through other variables correlated with the currency. Although energy and protein are the two currencies most often used, controversy exists regarding their respective influence on food choice. Part of the debate is due to the difficulty of teasing apart these two nutrients, which are closely correlated in most natural forages. Here we offer a test of the assumption that energy and protein contents of the forage are both currencies that large mammalian herbivores can use when selecting their food. We observed feeding behavior of 47 wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileusvirginianus) during winter while individuals were presented with four experimental foods representing two levels of energy and protein (dry matter digestibility: 40-50%; crude protein: 12-16%). Using experimental foods allowed us to separate the influences of energy and protein and clearly distinguish between the roles of these two nutrients. Deer discriminated between foods through partial selection, and selected diets higher in energy but lower in protein. The observed choices appeared consistent with physiological needs of deer wintering at the study site, where digestible energy was in short supply in the natural environment while protein was probably not. Results are in good agreement with recent findings on domesticated ruminants. They support a basic assumption of optimality models of food selection that use energy and/or protein as a currency, although the physiological mechanisms behind the food selection process remain unclear. We urge students of food selection by herbivores to replicate our experiment with other foods and/or in other circumstances before more general conclusions are drawn.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Food choice by white-tailed deer in relation to protein and energy content of the diet: a field experiment

et al. 1998

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“…Thus, heavily thinned stands with abundant forage could help reverse the apparent decline in deer numbers noted by Peek et al (2001Peek et al ( , 2002. In addition, high-quality forage on summer range will enhance body condition, and hence annual survival of ungulates during winter (Hanley and McKendrick, 1985;Parker, 1988). Furthermore, heavily thinned stands develop those features associated with old-growth forests faster than unthinned stands (Busing and Garmen, 2002;Lindgren et al, 2006;Sullivan et al, 2006).…”

Section: Mule Deer and Moosementioning

confidence: 93%

“…Similarly, energy gained in summer, coupled with energy lost in winter, had the greatest impact on body condition of deer (Parker, 1988). Presumably, enhancing body condition of ungulates prior to winter will significantly enhance their chances of survival during severe winters (Hanley and McKendrick, 1985;Parker, 1988). Peek et al (2002) concluded that there was a general correlation between deteriorating forage condition and declining deer populations since the 1930s.…”

Section: Mule Deer and Moosementioning

confidence: 95%

Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest

Sullivan

Sullivan²,

Lindgren³

et al. 2007

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…I solved the model using energy as the currency for fitness because previous studies suggested energy was, on average, most limiting for deer wintering at northern latitudes (Mautz, 1978;Potvin and Huot, 1983;Robbins 1983;Hanley and McKendrick, 1985).…”

Section: Solving the Foraging Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal diet selection by white-tailed deer: Balancing reproduction with starvation risk

Schmitz

1992

Evol Ecol

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SummaryEnergy intake rates of wintering deer vary over time because of variation in the abundance and quality of their natural foods. Accordingly, there is a chance that energy requirements will not be satisfied in a feeding period. This is especially critical because deer are reproductive during winter; hence selecting diets to minimize the risk of starvation may not maximize fitness. I examined diet selection by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) using a risk-sensitive foraging model which predicts the optimal diet when foragers face starvation risks during a reproductive period. Optimal diets were estimated by quantifying the mean and variance in energy intake rate deer could obtain when selecting different potential diets and substituting these values into functions for estimating offspring production and starvation risk. I conducted a field experiment to ask whether deer selected deciduous and coniferous twigs according to model predictions. Starvation risk was manipulated by providing deer supplemental feed. When faced with starvation risks, deer appeared to select diets that balanced offspring production with starvation risk. When starvation risk was eliminated, deer tended to select diets that simply maximized their mean energy intake rates.

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Potential Nutritional Limitations for Black-Tailed Deer in a Spruce-Hemlock Forest, Southeastern Alaska

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

Food choice by white-tailed deer in relation to protein and energy content of the diet: a field experiment

Food choice by white-tailed deer in relation to protein and energy content of the diet: a field experiment

Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest

Optimal diet selection by white-tailed deer: Balancing reproduction with starvation risk

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