Assessing Nutritional Condition of Mule Deer Using a Photographic Index

Smiley, Rachel A.; Rittenhouse, Chadwick D.; Mong, Tony W.; Monteith, Kevin L.

doi:10.1002/wsb.1070

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In contrast, excellent musculature indicates that the deer is eating sufficient protein to both maintain muscle and to support the high protein demands of the immune system [36]. These changes in subcutaneous fat can be evident via visual assessment [24]. The results of this study add to evidence that both musculature and fat reservoirs are sensitive to drought even in the early onset stages within island populations.…”

Section: Muscle and Muscle Atrophymentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Deer musculature, coat condition, body condition, and tick levels were recorded using two data collection methods: remote assessment and direct assessment of tranquilized deer. Remote assessments of nutritional conditions offer a noninvasive alternative when capture of deer is not possible, and can be used to evaluate changes at a population level [24]. Remote assessments were conducted at all three time points (onset, peak, and recovery of the drought), including collecting data on deer seen either on transects or opportunistically by trained technicians working in pairs and using binoculars at a distance of less than 25 m. Deer on the island are highly acclimatized to humans and did not move when observed by technicians, particularly near popular tourist trails or beaches.…”

Section: Tropical Forests -Ecology Diversity and Conservation Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes to Health Parameters of White-Tailed Deer during a Drought in the US Virgin Islands

Nelson¹,

Justice²,

Apple³

et al. 2023

Tropical Forests - Ecology, Diversity and Conservation Status

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Resident white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on St. John, US Virgin Islands offer a unique case study for understanding a population under pressure from climate change. During a 2015–2016 regional drought, deer health parameters including body condition, coat condition, tick prevalence, musculature, and stress hormones were tracked over three field seasons representing the onset, peak, and recovery phases of the drought. All health indicators showed significant change over the course of the drought, and post-hoc tests suggest some indicators (body condition, musculature, and ticks) were more sensitive during drought onset. High levels of cortisol during the peak period indicated substantial stress to the population, which normalized during recovery. The strongest correlations were between overall health/body condition and musculature and overall health/body condition and coat condition. The weakest correlations were between ticks and the remaining three variables. These results support the hypothesis that various measures of deer health are related. The frequency and intensity of droughts and environmental stressors are predicted to increase in the future due to climate change, which will further challenge this island deer population.

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Section: Muscle and Muscle Atrophymentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Tropical Forests -Ecology Diversity and Conservation Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes to Health Parameters of White-Tailed Deer during a Drought in the US Virgin Islands

Nelson¹,

Justice²,

Apple³

et al. 2023

Tropical Forests - Ecology, Diversity and Conservation Status

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“…Consistency among observers can be difficult to obtain (Shipley et al 2020), and some investigators have cautioned that estimates of body condition may be compromised by subjective assessments or individual biases (Cook et al 2010, Krause et al 2017, Smiley et al 2020). Others have reported, however, that useful measures of body condition were not compromised by those factors, and do provide useful information (Edmonson et al 1989, Gerhart et al 1996, Ezenwa et al 2009, Smiley et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indexing body condition of bighorn sheep: potential for concordance among independent investigators?

Bleich

Wiedmann

2023

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Estimates of body condition or body composition are useful metrics, and consistency among results determined by independent investigators enhances their utility. If concordant, albeit subjective, assessments of body condition can be achieved by personnel possessing differing levels of expertise, there are important implications for generating useful information that otherwise may not be obtained by investigators facing logistic or economic constraints, or difficult field conditions. We used a serendipitous opportunity to explore level of agreement among personnel with disparate levels of anatomical knowledge and familiarity with palpation to index body condition of 55 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Our preliminary results—albeit affected by sample size—suggested the investigators interpreted and applied scoring criteria similarly, despite their differing backgrounds. Given the potential to gain meaningful information on body condition that otherwise may not be attainable, we encourage further evaluation of concordance among independent investigators whenever body condition of bighorn sheep can be rated independently by >1 individual and, further, that the information be shared widely.

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“…Environmental and nutritional stress data can be time intensive and difficult to obtain [ 11 ], however, based on our results and the examples listed above, these types of “rapid assessments” can offer valuable information. Future applications of these management tools may include comparisons among individuals, packs, age groups, reproductive cycles, social structures, and sex between or among seasons and years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Photogrammetry has been used to estimate physical dimensions of wild species [7,8], body condition in terrestrial and marine mammals [9,10], and nutritional and disease conditions [11,12]. Photogrammetry and body condition scoring are tools used for both wild and domestic animals to measure, assess, and monitor the well-being of individuals and populations [7,9,[13][14][15], but practically, they can also be attained through "citizen science" [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative photogrammetric methodology for measuring mammalian belly score in the painted dog

Rasmussen¹,

Smultea²,

Cloutier³

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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The use of “belly scoring” can offer a novel, non-invasive objective management tool to gauge food intake between individuals, groups, and populations, and thus, population fitness. As food availability is increasingly affected by predation, ecological competition, climate change, habitat modification, and other human activities, an accurate belly scoring tool can facilitate comparisons among wildlife populations, serving as an early warning indicator of threats to wildlife population health and potential population collapse. In social species, belly scores can also be a tool to understand social behavior and ranking. We developed and applied the first rigorous quantitative photogrammetric methodology to measure belly scores of wild painted dogs (Lycaon pictus). Our methodology involves: (1) Rigorous selection of photographs of the dorso/lateral profile of individuals at a right angle to the camera, (2) photogrammetrically measuring belly chord length and “belly drop” in pixels, (3) adjusting belly chord length as a departure from a standardized leg angle, and (4) converting pixel measurements to ratios to eliminate the need to introduce distance from the camera. To highlight a practical application, this belly score method was applied to 631 suitable photographs of 15 painted dog packs that included 186 individuals, all collected between 2004–2015 from allopatric painted dog populations in and around Hwange (n = 462) and Mana Pools National Parks (n = 169) in Zimbabwe. Variation in mean belly scores exhibited a cyclical pattern throughout the year, corresponding to biologically significant patterns to include denning demand and prey availability. Our results show significant differences between belly scores of the two different populations we assessed, thus highlighting food stress in the Hwange population. In the face of growing direct and indirect anthropogenic disturbances, this standardised methodology can provide a rapid, species-specific non-invasive management tool that can be applied across studies to rapidly detect emergent threats.

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Assessing Nutritional Condition of Mule Deer Using a Photographic Index

Cited by 4 publications

References 28 publications

Changes to Health Parameters of White-Tailed Deer during a Drought in the US Virgin Islands

Changes to Health Parameters of White-Tailed Deer during a Drought in the US Virgin Islands

Indexing body condition of bighorn sheep: potential for concordance among independent investigators?

Quantitative photogrammetric methodology for measuring mammalian belly score in the painted dog

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