Habitat selection of white-tailed deer fawns and their dams in the Northern Great Plains

Eric S Michel,Bailey S Gullikson,Brian A Schaffer,Katherine L Brackel,William F Jensen,Jonathan A Jenks

doi:10.1007/s13364-020-00519-6

Abstract

Habitat availability can affect important life-history traits such as survival; however, little information exists on how microhabitat characteristics found at parturition sites selected by dams and bed sites selected by their offspring differ from the surrounding area and from each other. Therefore, we assessed how vegetation affected maternal parturition and offspring bed site selection for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Northern Great Plains. Dams selected for sites with decreased vegetation height, potentially improving their visibility, which may increase their ability to escape approaching predators. Conversely, there was no variation between vegetative characteristics at neonate bed sites and their associated random sites, indicating grasslands provide adequate concealment for neonates. Dams possess the ability to flee from approaching predators, thus increasing the importance of visibility while giving birth. Conversely, neonates depend on fear bradycardia as their main antipredator defense, so concealment is more important. Our results suggest that vegetation structure is an important characteristic to white-tailed deer as habitat needs vary between adults and neonates.

Highlights

Habitat availability influences important life-history characteristics such as survival
Given we found most parturition sites in grasslands, we reduced our analysis to include only those parturition sites found in grasslands
Understory vegetation height at parturition sites differed from random sites and had a negative effect (β = − 0.168; 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), − 0.325–− 0.011, n = 16) on parturition site selection such that for every 1-cm decrease in understory vegetation height, probability of a female selecting that site for parturition increased 15.4%

Summary

Introduction

Habitat availability influences important life-history characteristics such as survival. Elk (Cervus canadensis) experienced increased mortality from wolves (Canis lupus) when using pine forests compared with. Ciuti et al (2014) reported mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) neonate survival decreased as habitat fragmentation increased in the presence of high coyote (Canis latrans) populations. Elk, moose (Alces americanus), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) avoided direct predation risk by not selecting resources in areas that posed greater predation risk (Kittle et al 2008). Understanding how individuals use available habitat can potentially explain how populations persist in dynamic environments. Coyotes are reported to have substantial impacts on white-tailed deer neonate populations at local scales (Chitwood et al 2015; Kilgo et al 2012). Results on effects of habitat composition and structure on neonate survival is inconsistent

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