La fréquentation des peuplements riverains par le cerf de Virginie en hiver: sélection de site ou pure coïncidence?

Abstract

AbstractIn north-east North America, it has been often reported that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) preferentially locate their winter yards along streams and lakes. However, it has never been determined if this pattern of habitat use was related to the distribution of coniferous stands associated with more humid, down slope sites along waterways or if deer preferentially use riparian stands in their winter yard. An experimental design to discriminate the effect of stream or lake proximity from other habitat features, was established in the lac des Baies deer yard, near Rimouski (eastern Quebec). Using pellet-group counts as an index of habitat use, the use of mature coniferous stands (3.75 ha balsam fir—northern white-cedar stands) contiguous to water (n = 8) was compared with similar fir—cedar stands (n = 8) located in the same deer yard but away (< 300 m) from streams or lakes. According to this index, riparian stands were used almost twice as much as the non-riparian stands (P =...