Spatiotemporal variations in resources affect activity and movement patterns of white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus</i><i>virginianus</i>) at high density

Massé, Ariane; Côté, Steeve D.

doi:10.1139/cjz-2012-0297

Cited by 40 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 88 publications

(122 reference statements)

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“…Night-time movements were much shorter than daytime movements, which was expected (Rideout 1978;Singer and Doherty 1985;Pelletier et al 2009), but has been rarely tested. Like most other ungulates (Beier and McCullough 1990;Ager et al 2003;Massé and Côté 2013), mountain goats appear to concentrate movements in daylight hours. Movements may also differ between day and night because of differences in predation risk (Mysterud and Østbye 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The effect of snow on space use of an alpine ungulate: recently fallen snow tells more than cumulative snow depth

2014

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Snow is one of the most limiting environmental factors for large wildlife of temperate and arctic zones during winter. Snow depth may limit space use, increase energy expenditure related to movement, limit resource availability, and ultimately affect individual survival. Most of the studies on the effect of snow on animal space use have used cumulative snow depth. The amount of recently fallen snow, however, could be more relevant for wildlife, especially in alpine and northern environments, where wind shifts and hardens the snow cover constantly. From 2011 to 2013, we studied space use of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus (Blainville, 1816)) within Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. During winter, daily and weekly movements decreased with the amount of recently fallen snow, but not with cumulative snow depth. These results indicate that recently fallen snow should be included in wildlife space-use studies during winter. Limited movement and range size of mountain goats also highlight the energy-saving tactic used in winter by this species.Résumé : Durant l'hiver, la neige est l'un des facteurs environnementaux les plus limitants pour la grande faune des régions tempérées ou arctiques. L'épaisseur de neige peut limiter l'utilisation de l'espace, augmenter les dépenses énergétiques liées aux déplacements, limiter la disponibilité des ressources et ultimement affecter la survie. La plupart des études concernant les effets de la neige sur l'utilisation de l'espace de la faune ont utilisé des mesures d'épaisseur de neige. Par contre, la quantité de neige fraiche pourrait être plus représentative des conditions rencontrées par la faune, particulièrement en région alpine ou arctique où le vent déplace et compacte constamment le couvert nival. De 2011 à 2013, nous avons étudié l'utilisation de l'espace des chèvres de montagne (Oreamnos americanus (Blainville, 1816)) dans le Parc national Jasper en Alberta, Canada. Durant l'hiver, les déplacements quotidiens et hebdomadaires, diminuaient en fonction de la quantité de neige fraiche, mais pas en fonction de l'épaisseur de neige au sol. Ces résultats indiquent que la neige fraiche devrait être incluse dans les études d'utilisation de l'espace de la faune durant l'hiver. Les déplacements limités et la petite taille des aires utilisées par les chèvres de montagne soulignent la tactique d'économie d'énergie utilisée par cette espèce durant l'hiver.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

The effect of snow on space use of an alpine ungulate: recently fallen snow tells more than cumulative snow depth

2014

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“…, Sorenson and Tayler , Coulombe et al. , Massé and Côté ). White‐tailed deer may not have foraged longer to increase their DEI because they were close to their estimated maintenance requirements already or because they were limited by food passage rate and rumination time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in dietary niche and foraging behavior of sympatric mule and white‐tailed deer

et al. 2019

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Mule (Odocoileus hemionus) and white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are congeneric and share similar life histories, yet their distribution is segregated across much of North America. Extensive research on both species within and outside their zone of co‐occurrence has not fully explained these distribution patterns, especially the potential role of diet and foraging behavior. Therefore, we used a common garden experiment to compare diet composition, diet quality, foraging behavior, and intake of tractable mule and white‐tailed deer foraging together within the dry Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)/ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of northeastern Washington. We sampled at 21 0.5‐ha sites from June to August 2016. We used standard bite count techniques coupled with forage biomass sampling, behavioral observations, and nutritional analyses to compare the foraging ecology of the two species. Mule and white‐tailed deer had similar activity patterns. However, mule deer took larger bites and harvested food faster than white‐tailed deer, and white‐tailed deer consumed more diverse but higher‐quality diets than mule deer. These differences resulted in mule deer acquiring ~25% more dry matter and digestible energy per day. About 90% of the diets consumed by both deer species consisted of deciduous shrubs and forbs, and they selected many of the same plant species. However, overall diet composition was 38% dissimilar, with mule deer consuming diets that were more likely to contain shrubs with higher levels of tannins and lower levels of dry matter digestibility than diets eaten by white‐tailed deer. Dietary overlap was greatest at both very low and very high forage biomass, indicating potential for modest resource competition or partitioning. Our research provides evidence that differences in diet composition of mule and white‐tailed deer do not merely reflect differences in habitat selection, but also suggest the species differ in their fundamental nutritional niches.

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“…We alternated daily between a morning (04:00–12:00 h) and an afternoon schedule (12:00 and 20:00 h). These schedules encompassed day and dusk, that is, the two periods of greatest deer activity during winter in this population (Massé and Côté ). Every 10 days, we transferred all telemetry locations of a given collared female received by e‐mail to a handheld GPS (Garmin eTrex, Olathe, Kansas, USA) and visited recent locations shortly after their satellite transmission (average time interval between data recordings and field visits: 22 h, range: 5–36 h).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter severity modulates the benefits of using a habitat temporally uncoupled from browsing

et al. 2016

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Citation: Giroux, M.-A., C. Dussault, J.-P. Tremblay, and S. D. Côté. 2016. Winter severity modulates the benefits of using a habitat temporally uncoupled from browsing. Ecosphere 7(8):e01432. 10.1002/ecs2.1432Abstract. Resources whose abundance is not affected by the density of the consumer population, namely donor-controlled resources, are ubiquitous. Donor-controlled resources can act as food subsidies when they sustain consumer populations at higher densities than what would be predicted without donorcontrolled dynamics. Herbivore populations that have access to food subsidies may reach and maintain high densities, with potential major ecological and economic consequences. A better understanding of the roles of food subsidies on temperate herbivores will likely be achieved by simultaneously taking into account other drivers of demographic variations such as winter severity. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the use of a donor-controlled food resource that may act as a food subsidy, namely balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and winter severity act together to shape the patterns of overwinter mass loss in a large herbivore population (white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus). We monitored weather conditions, diet, habitat use, and mass loss of female deer during two highly contrasted winters. During an exceptionally milder winter, characterized by shallower snow depth and warmer windchill temperatures, female deer shifted their diet toward resources usually covered by snow during typical winters. Surprisingly, the rate of body mass loss remained similar during the milder and the harsher winter. The rate of body mass loss rather decreased with the use of balsam fir stands during the harsher winter, but increased with that same variable during the milder winter. Our study revealed that deer can alleviate overwinter mass loss by using a donor-controlled habitat type temporally uncoupled from browsing, but that this benefit is climate dependent. This study represents an additional step to address the largely unexplored concept of how temporal uncoupling between resources and consumer dynamics may contribute to sustain consumer populations at higher densities than predicted without considering donor-controlled dynamics.

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Spatiotemporal variations in resources affect activity and movement patterns of white-tailed deer (Odocoileusvirginianus) at high density

Cited by 40 publications

References 88 publications

The effect of snow on space use of an alpine ungulate: recently fallen snow tells more than cumulative snow depth

The effect of snow on space use of an alpine ungulate: recently fallen snow tells more than cumulative snow depth

Differences in dietary niche and foraging behavior of sympatric mule and white‐tailed deer

Winter severity modulates the benefits of using a habitat temporally uncoupled from browsing

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