Regional Copper Deficiency in White-Tailed Deer

Rankins, Seth T.; DeYoung, Randy W.; Foley, Aaron M.; Ortega-S., Alfonso; Fulbright, Timothy E.; Hewitt, David G.; Hilton, Clayton D.; Schofield, Landon R.; Campbell, Tyler A.

doi:10.4236/oje.2023.131002

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 36 publications

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“…Blood samples were centrifuged at 1800 × g for 10 min within 1 h after sampling. The serum samples were placed in plastic vials and stored at -20°C until analysis (Rankins et al, 2023).…”

Section: Deer Capture Handling and Pregnancy Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy Rate and Number of Fetuses of White-Tailed Deer Related to Body Measurements and Serum Metabolites

Rodríguez-Huerta,

García,

Angel-García

et al. 2024

Acta biol. Colomb.

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This study aimed to assess the association between fertility and the number of fetuses of free-ranging concentrate-supplemented white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, texanus, Mearns 1898) from northern Mexico (27 °N) with body measurements and serum metabolites indicative of nutritional status. We studied 119 female deer (31 yearlings and 88 adults) captured in January 2021 using a net gun fired from a helicopter. Ultrasound scanning showed 100 and 97.8 % pregnancy rate and 1.52 ± 0.51 and 1.50 ± 0.59 fetuses/pregnant doe for yearlings and adult does, respectively, with no difference (p > 0.05) between age classes Thoracic circumference (cm) was higher (85.9 ± 4.9 vs. 84.1 ± 4.2; p = 0.039) for does carrying twins vs. singles. None of the serum metabolites indicative of nutritional status affected the fetal number of pregnant does. It was concluded that free-ranging white-tailed deer receiving concentrate supplementation in winter on a semi-arid rangeland has a high reproductive potential. Also, these results indicate that variation in maternal age within this population was not a significant driver of reproductive metrics of white-tailed deer. The plane of nutrition used in the present study was reflected in adequate serum metabolites indicative of nutritional status. Also, thoracic circumference may have prognostic value as a physical marker of multiple fetuses in female white-tailed deer.

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“…Blood samples were centrifuged at 1800 × g for 10 min within 1 h after sampling. The serum samples were placed in plastic vials and stored at -20°C until analysis (Rankins et al, 2023).…”

Section: Deer Capture Handling and Pregnancy Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy Rate and Number of Fetuses of White-Tailed Deer Related to Body Measurements and Serum Metabolites

Rodríguez-Huerta,

García,

Angel-García

et al. 2024

Acta biol. Colomb.

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Fine‐scale phenotypic variation of a large herbivore in a pulsed environment

Foley,

Gann,

Hewitt

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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The resource rule hypothesis predicts that geographic differences in body size among populations of organisms are due to the amount, availability, and quality of food resources. For instance, the body size of large herbivores is often correlated with soil characteristics because better soils produce better forage. In semiarid environments, rainfall variation is an important driver of forage availability, especially highly nutritious annual forbs. Thus, in such pulsed‐resource environments, it is unclear whether the body size of large herbivores is influenced by fixed resources correlated with soil characteristics, irregular resource pulses correlated with rainfall, or both. Furthermore, it is not clear whether phenotypic expression is a function of forage quality or quantity. During the early autumns of 2011–2018, we captured 4554 white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on seven rangeland sites in the semiarid climate of South Texas, USA. The sites range from coastal to 140 km inland and represent gradients in both soil texture and annual rainfall. We recorded age‐ and sex‐specific indices of skeletal size, antler size, and body mass. Site‐specific soil characteristics explained most of the variation in skeletal size; percent sand was inversely related to skeletal size. For environmentally sensitive phenotypes (antler size and body mass), both soil characteristics and rainfall were influencers; increases in rainfall reduced the negative effect of sand. Percent sand and rainfall were positively correlated with annual biomass of preferred forbs, yet all phenotypic traits declined with increases in forb quantity. Increases in percent shrub cover increased all phenotype sizes. Our data suggest that the phenotypic expression of large herbivores in semiarid environments is driven by forage quality via edaphic characteristics rather than forage quantity via rainfall. Specifically, less sand in the soil allows for the development of shrub communities, which in turn provide a consistent source of forage in a variable, pulsed‐rainfall environment. Although forbs are of higher quality, they are highly ephemeral. The availability of a consistent source of forage may enable white‐tailed deer to extend time invested in body growth, which results in greater phenotype size. Our findings align with the resource rule hypothesis that identifies resource availability as a fundamental element explaining geographical variation in phenotypic expression.

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