Distribution Of White-tailed Deer Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Effects of Free-Roaming Horses on White-Tailed Deer Distribution in Northwestern Costa Rica

The study of interspecific interactions helps scientists and conservationists understand the ability of species to coexist in a given area, improving the conservation and management of ecological communities. Here we present a case study where we tested whether spatial and temporal interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), an ungulate native to Costa Rica, and horses (Equus caballus), a domestic ungulate reintroduced to a protected area, might result in avoidance. We used a paired field design with 40 camera traps deployed in two adjacent 228-ha fields within northwestern dry forest of Costa Rica during the wet season. We used general linear models to evaluate the effect of horse presence and vegetation type on white-tailed deer spatial distribution, as well as the Pianka's index to assess evidence of spatial overlapping. In addition, temporal overlap between horses and deer was assessed using the overlap coefficient, and the temporal response of white-tailed deer to horse presence was assessed using a spatially explicit null model approach. Evidence indicated that white-tailed deer used sites with horses more than sites without horses and used grass and shrubland sites more than forested sites. Within the area with horses, spatial overlap between horses and white-tailed deer was intermediate, suggesting insights of a moderate degree of spatial partitioning. Horses and white-tailed deer both showed similar activity patterns with a high degree of overlap, but our null model approach suggested neutral interaction; thus, our results indicated non-negative effects of horse presence on white-tailed deer spatiotemporal activity. Our results are limited by spatial and temporal replication, so caution is recommended when using this information to make decisions in other sites where horses and deer coexist. However, this effort provides relevant and novel information for our study area and can help decision makers to better manage ecological communities in the northwestern dry forest of Costa Rica.

Northward bound: the distribution of white-tailed deer in Ontario under a changing climate

Context Global climatic changes are increasingly producing observable shifts in species distributions. It is widely believed that the northern distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in North America is limited by cold winter temperatures and deep snow. Under all climate change scenarios, it is likely that the adverse effects of winter will diminish, which may result in a northward expansion of the distribution of white-tailed deer. Aims The goal of this project was to quantify the drivers of white-tailed deer distribution identified from a set of climate and land cover variables. We wanted to forecast changes to the northern limit on white-tailed deer distribution under several climate change scenarios. Methods We used an occupancy-modelling approach to identify the variables or combination of variables that best estimated the occupancy of white-tailed deer across a 140-site camera-observation network operating from 2013 to 2015. We validated our model using data from a mammal atlas from 1993. We used available data from climate change scenarios to predict and map changes to the northern limit of white-tailed deer distribution for three time horizons up to 2100. Key results Our models indicated that both climate and land cover had a determining influence on the northern limit of white-tailed deer distribution in our study area. Variables describing winter climate, in particular temperature and snow depth, were most closely associated with the northern edge of white-tailed deer distribution, and land cover variables added explanatory power. Our predictions suggested that white-tailed deer distribution will expand northward, given the retreat of severe winters. Conclusions White-tailed deer distribution is controlled by land-based habitat indicators and limited at a northern boundary by the severity of winter climate. Current CO2 emission scenarios indicate that winter conditions will no longer limit the northern distribution of white-tailed deer in our study area by the year 2100. Implications Under all climate change scenarios, the influx of white-tailed deer to new northern environments will likely impact the dynamics of other wildlife populations. The management of species such as moose (Alces alces) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in these regions must anticipate the disruptive potential of white-tailed deer.

Tending and drive hunting: A density-mediated attrition model can explain age profiles of white-tailed deer at Iroquoian village sites

In a 1993 paper, Noble and Crerar suggested, based on the age and sex distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) longbones from four Attawandaron Iroquoian sites around the western end of Lake Ontario, that the contact-period Attawandaron were managing local deer populations, in response to the aboriginal trade in hides. Having observed similar patterns of differential preservation of elements and epiphyseal fusion at nearby Iroquoian sites that are not ascribed to the Attawandaron, and which pre-date the hypothesised trading period, we argue that these patterns may instead relate to bone density and/or vulnerability to taphonomic effects of late-fusing epiphyses. We further support our argument through age profiles based on dental eruption and wear.

Influence of climate and human land use on the distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileusvirginianus) in the western boreal forest

Understanding the factors that drive species distributions is emerging as an important tool in wildlife management, under unprecedented changes in species ranges. While invasion ecologists have long studied the impact of human land use on species’ distributions, and models developed more recently to explain changes in species range boundaries have been largely parameterized by climate variables, few authors have considered climate and land-use factors together to explain species distribution. The purpose of this study was to test two main competing hypotheses involving human land use and climate effects on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) distribution, which has expanded into the boreal ecosystem in recent decades. Using a species distribution modeling approach with data from boreal Alberta, we found that climate, as measured by an index of winter severity, was the most important individual factor determining current white-tailed deer distribution in boreal Alberta. Human land use (as measured by total land-use footprint) acted to substantially increase white-tailed deer presence but only in areas with more severe winter conditions. We use our findings to recommend where limiting or reclaiming the industrial footprint may be most beneficial to limiting white-tailed deer distribution.

Modelación de la distribución potencial y el efecto del cambio de uso de suelo en la conservación de los ungulados silvestres del Bajo Balsas, México

White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus and collared peccary Pecari tajacu are the two native ungulates species present in the Bajo Balsas region. Both are very important from an ecological, social and economical perspective. Therefore, evaluate the effects of changes in land use on their distribution is basic for conservation and management proposes. In this paper we used the ecological niche modeling to generate an hypothetical scenario about the potential distribution of these two species in this region, then using geographic information systems we obtained some landscape metrics to evaluate how changes in land use affects these distributions; finally, we analyzed the protection provided by the Biosphere Reserve of Zicuiran-Infiernillo (RBZI) to these ungulates. The potential distribution of white-tailed deer covered an area of 5,321 km2 and the collared peccary of 5,762 km2. As a result of changes in land use both species lose in their potential distribution an area of 1,011 km2 and 1,303 km2, respectively. The RBZI protects approximately 36% of the distributions of these ungulates in Bajo Balsas. Considering the small patches sizes to maintain minimum viable populations, We suggest that the best strategy for the conservation of these species in this region is a scheme based on source-sink dynamics, taking as a source the RBZI and as a sink the management units (UMA) that are already established in the area.

Odocoileus virginianus, Zimmermann, 1780 (Mammalia: Cervidae): confirmed records and distribution extension in the northern Brazilian Amazon

We present details of five new field records of Odocoileus virginianus from the northern Brazilian Amazon, extending its known range from Suriname to the Brazilian state of Pará. We also document four sight records and four records based on specimens held in collections of white-tailed deer distribution from the states of Amapá and Roraima, reinforcing this inferred distribution. Confirmation of the occurrence of O. virginianus in the Brazilian Amazon is important for its conservation, since it is an important game species for traditional human populations and requires population-level management.

Effects of local and regional landscape characteristics on wildlife distribution across managed forests

Understanding the impacts of local and regional landscape characteristics on spatial distributions of wildlife species is vital for achieving ecological and economic sustainability of forested landscapes. This understanding is important because wildlife species such as white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) have the potential to affect forest dynamics differently across space. Here, we quantify the effects of local and regional landscape characteristics on the spatial distribution of white-tailed deer, produce maps of estimated deer density using these quantified relationships, provide measures of uncertainty for these maps to aid interpretation, and show how this information can be used to guide co-management of deer and forests. Specifically, we use ordinary least squares and Bayesian regression methods to model the spatial distribution of white-tailed deer in northern hardwood stands during the winter in the managed hardwood-conifer forests of the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. Our results show that deer density is higher nearer lowland conifer stands and in areas where northern hardwood trees have small mean diameter-at-breast-height. Other factors related with deer density include mean northern hardwood basal area (negative relationship), proportion of lowland conifer forest cover (positive relationship), and mean daily snow depth (negative relationship). The modeling methods we present provide a means to identify locations in forest landscapes where wildlife and forest managers may most effectively co-ordinate their actions.

The impact of seasonal variability in wildlife populations on the predicted spread of foot and mouth disease

Modeling potential disease spread in wildlife populations is important for predicting, responding to and recovering from a foreign animal disease incursion such as foot and mouth disease (FMD). We conducted a series of simulation experiments to determine how seasonal estimates of the spatial distribution of white-tailed deer impact the predicted magnitude and distribution of potential FMD outbreaks. Outbreaks were simulated in a study area comprising two distinct ecoregions in South Texas, USA, using a susceptible-latent-infectious-resistant geographic automata model (Sirca). Seasonal deer distributions were estimated by spatial autoregressive lag models and the normalized difference vegetation index. Significant (P < 0.0001) differences in both the median predicted number of deer infected and number of herds infected were found both between seasons and between ecoregions. Larger outbreaks occurred in winter within the higher deer-density ecoregion, whereas larger outbreaks occurred in summer and fall within the lower deer-density ecoregion. Results of this simulation study suggest that the outcome of an FMD incursion in a population of wildlife would depend on the density of the population infected and when during the year the incursion occurs. It is likely that such effects would be seen for FMD incursions in other regions and countries, and for other diseases, in cases in which a potential wildlife reservoir exists. Study findings indicate that the design of a mitigation strategy needs to take into account population and seasonal characteristics.

White-tailed deer distribution in response to patch burning on rangeland

Management of rangelands has changed substantially over the past few decades; today there is greater emphasis on wildlife management and increased interest in using natural disturbances such as fire to manage rangeland plant and animal communities. To determine the effect of prescribed fires on the distribution of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus), we used Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to monitor the movements of bucks and does during four, month-long, trials before and during the year after implementation of three late summer burns. Deer were expected to increase their use of burned areas to take advantage of fresh plant growth after the disturbance. However, the only increased use of burns occurred 1–2 months after treatment. The presence of cattle did not limit deer use of burns. Low use of burned areas was attributed to drought conditions, which limited vegetation regrowth. Other than a brief flush of fresh grass in autumn, no changes in plant cover could be ascribed to the burns. Thus, in semi-arid areas, use of prescribed burns to reduce brush cover and increase forb production for deer may not be successful, at least in the short-term, if lack of rainfall limits regrowth of vegetation.

Representation of animal distributions in space: how geostatistical estimates impact simulation modeling of foot-and-mouth disease spread

Modeling potential disease spread in wildlife populations is important for predicting, responding to and recovering from a foreign animal disease incursion. To make spatial epidemic predictions, the target animal species of interest must first be represented in space. We conducted a series of simulation experiments to determine how estimates of the spatial distribution of white-tailed deer impact the predicted magnitude and distribution of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. Outbreaks were simulated using a susceptible-infected-recovered geographic automata model. The study region was a 9-county area (24 000 km(2)) of southern Texas. Methods used for creating deer distributions included dasymetric mapping, kriging and remotely sensed image analysis. The magnitudes and distributions of the predicted outbreaks were evaluated by comparing the median number of deer infected and median area affected (km(2)), respectively. The methods were further evaluated for similar predictive power by comparing the model predicted outputs with unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering. There were significant differences in the estimated number of deer in the study region, based on the geostatistical estimation procedure used (range: 385 939-768 493). There were also substantial differences in the predicted magnitude of the FMD outbreaks (range: 1 563-8 896) and land area affected (range: 56-447 km(2)) for the different estimated animal distributions. UPGMA clustering indicated there were two main groups of distributions, and one outlier. We recommend that one distribution from each of these two groups be used to model the range of possible outbreaks. Methods included in cluster 1 (such as county-level disaggregation) could be used in conjunction with any of the methods in cluster 2, which included kriging, NDVI split by ecoregion, or disaggregation at the regional level, to represent the variability in the model predicted outbreak distributions. How animal populations are represented needs to be considered in all spatial disease spread models.

Local spatial modeling of white-tailed deer distribution

Complex spatial heterogeneity of ecological systems is difficult to capture and interpret using global models alone. For this reason, recent attention has been paid to local spatial modeling techniques. We used one local modeling approach, geographically weighted regression (GWR), to investigate the effects of local spatial heterogeneity on multivariate relationships of white-tailed deer distribution using land cover patch metrics and climate factors. The results of these analyses quantify differences in the contributions of model parameters to estimates of deer density over space. A GWR model with local kernel bandwidth was compared to a GWR model with global kernel bandwidth and an ordinary least-squares regression (OLS) model with the same parameters to evaluate their relative abilities in modeling deer distributions. The results indicated that the GWR models predicted deer density better than the traditional ordinary least-squares model and also provided useful information regarding local environmental processes affecting deer distribution. GWR model comparisons showed that the local kernel bandwidth GWR model was more realistic than the global kernel bandwidth GWR model, as the latter exaggerated local spatial variation. The parameter estimates and model statistics (e.g., model R 2) of the GWR models were mapped using geographic information systems (GIS) to illustrate local spatial variation in the regression relationship and to identify causes of large-scale model misspecifications and low estimation efficiencies.

White-Tailed Deer Use of Clearings Relative to Forage Availability

Use of woodland clearings by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) may be in response to increased availability of forage within open patches or increased ability of deer to locate predators. We tested predictions, based upon the forage-maturation hypothesis, that white-tailed deer used areas with the greatest availability of high-quality forage, and that habitat use changed seasonally depending upon availability and quality of major types of forage in their diet. We tested those predictions in subtropical thorn woodland in South Texas, United States. Treatments included (1) areas with continuous woody cover as controls, (2) clearings with high availability of forbs and shrub sprouts, (3) clearings with low availability of shrub sprouts, (4) clearings with low availability of forbs, and (5) clearings with low availability of forbs and shrub sprouts. Intensity of use by deer during summer and autumn increased with increasing biomass of shrub sprouts and then declined with increasing shrub biomass as areas became dominated by mature shrubs with less accessible, usable forage. During spring, intensity of deer use increased in clearings with increases in forage availability and quality, indicated by an index to carrying capacity, then declined as vegetation matured. Responses of white-tailed deer to clearings supported the forage-maturation hypothesis in which herbivore responses to clearings resulted, in part, from the presence of shrub sprouts of high nutritional quality, particularly during summer and autumn when forage availability was low. Maintenance of clearings that are interspersed in a woodland matrix and maintaining high levels of immature shrub sprouts may alter the spatial distribution of white-tailed deer on the landscape.

SEROLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF BOVINE HERPESVIRUS 1-RELATED VIRUS INFECTION IN THE WHITE-TAILED DEER POPULATION ON ANTICOSTI ISLAND, QUEBEC

High white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population densities and the occurrence of harsh environmental conditions are present on Anticosti Island, located in the Gulf of Saint-Lawrence (Quebec, Canada). This island is the northernmost region of white-tailed deer distribution in northeastern North America. The aim of this work was to determine whether a herpesvirus serologically related to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1) may occur in a stressed white-tailed deer population. One hundred one deer sera were collected from apparently healthy animals during the hunting season from September to late November 1985. Fifty-three percent of tested deer were positive to the seroneutralization test using Colorado strain of BHV1 virus. Higher percentages of seropositivity were observed in animals of both sexes greater than 4-yr-old. Analysis of antibody titers in seropositive animals according to age suggests that BHV1-related viral infection is endemic in the Anticosti Island deer population. It is postulated that environmental stress may induce immunosuppression of certain infected and/or carrier animals in their population that shed virus for long periods of time.

Factors Influencing Distribution of White-Tailed Deer in Riparian Habitats

We evaluated factors influencing distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) along the lower Yellowstone River in eastern Montana during winter, summer, and fall, 1985. We determined relationships between distribution of deer, riparian vegetation, and land use practices using regression analysis. The amount of riparian forest and shrubland cover was the most important factor (P < 0.0001) influencing deer distribution and accounted for 70% of the variation observed in relative deer abundance among sections of river bottom. Cattle distribution and amount of island area also influenced distribution of deer. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 52(3):544-548 White-tailed deer are primarily associated with riparian areas in eastern Montana (Allen 1968, Swenson et al. 1983, Herriges 1986). Cook (1945), Zwank et al. (1979), and Smith and Flake (1983) also reported the importance of bottomland habitats associated with rivers and streams to white-tailed deer in the Great Plains. Despite their documented importance, quantitative data relating characteristics of riparian habitats and the relative distribution and abundance of deer are lacking. The objective of our study was to evaluate deer distribution in relation to habitat characteristics, livestock use, and other land uses so essential information is available for deer management along the lower Yellowstone Riv-

Prehistoric Biogeography of White-Tailed Deer in Washington and Oregon

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations declined after 1875 in Washington and Oregon, and now appear to be expanding into territory they had not occupied in historic times. I used discriminant analysis to distinguish white-tailed from mule deer (0. hemionus) mandibles from 24 archaeological sites, allowing reconstruction of the prehistoric distribution of white-tailed deer. The prehistoric distribution shows that the post-1875 population decline may have been part of a long-term cycle, rather than a purely historical phenomenon associated with Euroamerican settlement. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 51(3):649-654 Species accounts for artiodactyls in Washington and Oregon (Bailey 1936, Dalquest 1948, Ingles 1965, Smith 1985) indicate that the range of white-tailed deer has diminished considerably since the American Northwest was settled by Euroamericans. Columbian white-tailed deer (0. v. leucurus) are now limited to remnant populations in southwestern Oregon and along the lower Columbia River (Smith 1985). They were once common from the mouth of the Columbia River east to the Dalles and John Day River area (Bailey 1936), and there is a possible record from Pasco, Washington (Taylor and Shaw 1929). They ranged up the Cowlitz River to the Puget Sound area (Suckley and Cooper 1860, Taylor and Shaw 1929, Allen 1942) and south into the Willamette Valley in Oregon (Bailey 1936). Northwest white-tailed deer (0. v. ochrourus) are restricted to higher-elevation forests of northeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon (Dalquest 1948, Ingles 1965, Payne et al. 1975, Asherin and Claar 1976) forming 2 populations separated by the most arid part of the Columbia Basin (Fig. 1). Historic records indicate that white-tailed deer were abundant in the Northwest until about 1875, when they rapidly disappeared (Bailey 1936, Cowan 1936, Scheffer 1940). White-tailed deer were thought to be extinct in western Washington (Taylor and Shaw 1929) until a small herd was discovered at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1939 (Scheffer 1940). Although white-tailed deer were abundant in southeastern Washington at the time the area was settled by Euroamericans, the population declined until they were reintroduced in 1938 (Larrison 1970). Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana), elk (Cervus elaphus), bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), and bison (Bison bison) also have bee locally extirpated in many areas of the Northwest; most modern populations are reint oduced (Dalquest 1948, Ingles 1965, Lyman and Livingston 1983). Introduction of firearms and subsequent overhunting, introduction of new dis ases, and/or agriculture and other land use practices resulting in habitat loss are the most commonly cited processes by which Euroamericans caused artiodactyl decimation (Suckley and Cooper 1860, Cowan 1936, Schalk and Cleveland 1983:39-41). Both subspecies of white-tailed deer have increased in numbers and geographic distribution since 1935. Columbian white-tailed deer in Oregon have experienced a 15-fold increase in geographic range and a 10-fold increase in population size since 1939 (Smith 1985). Reports that white-tailed deer have spread south from Okan gan County into Chelan County, Washington, and observations of white-tailed deer in the central part of eastern Washington have led to the conclusion that the eastern subspecies also is expanding its range (O'Farrell and Hedlund 1972). Ecologically controlled changes in abundance and geographical distribution of migratory and nomadic species fall into 2 general categories; dramatic fluctuations over short periods of time with relatively little change over longer periods of time, and long-term shifts in response to environmental changes (Brown and Gibson 1983). To date, the decline in abundance and distribution of artiodactyls in Washington and Oregon has been viewed as a long-term decline in response to exploitation by Euroamericans or environmental change caused by Euroamerican settlement. Game management practices have been credited for recovery of the western populations (Smith 1985). However, the factors allowing the eastern populations to recover are