Winter Precipitation and Recruitment Of Pronghorns In Arizona

Abstract

Recruitment of pronghorns (Antilocapra americana; fawns∶100 females) through late summer was positively correlated with precipitation during the previous winter (October–April) on 10 areas in Arizona during 1983–2002. There was no evidence of serial autocorrelation in recruitment of fawns and no strong within-year effects, even after accounting for differences in winter precipitation among sites. There was no evidence that the relationship between winter precipitation and recruitment differed among populations. Winter precipitation explained 38.5% of variability in recruitment among years within populations. We hypothesize that winter precipitation is a limiting factor affecting recruitment in populations of pronghorns in arid and semi-arid habitats in Arizona.