Diets of Desert Mule Deer

Abstract

We studied the diets of desert mule deer (Odbcoileus hemionus crooki Mearns) at 3 sites in Arizona and collated this information with that of previous diet studies of desert mule deer across their range in the United States. We documented 96 browse, 69 forb, 14 succulent, and 6 grass species that each constituted 2 1% of the diet during 2 1 season. The occurrence of individual plant species varied spatially and temporally. Changes in nutrient levels and climatic influence on relative availability and phenology of plant species likely influenced diet. Desert mule deer rely heavily on browse and forbes, which make up the majority of their diet (> 90%). Grasses and succulents were generally c 5% of the diet. Rangeland managers should strive to keep desert rangelands productive with a diversity of forage so animals have opportunities to exercise free choice of diet.

Dynamics of mule deer forage in the Sonoran Desert

“…desert-ironwood) frequently remain green and are used by deer all year. An understanding of the effects of forage on deer populations should include the relative importance of species, or most important species, for deer; however, for a generalist herbivore exhibiting a highly diverse diet (Krausman et al, 1997), such an understanding could be difficult to achieve over large landscapes. Caughley (1982) studied a modelled plant-herbivore system and compared models using a single forage component to those using several forage components.…”

The Apache Longbow–Hellfire Missile Test at Yuma Proving Ground: Introduction and Problem Formulation for a Multiple Stressor Risk Assessment

“…This index is presented for several plant species in Table 2. Ironwood is among the most nutritious species to mule deer (Table 2), as well as comprising 40% of the deer's diet (Krausman et al 1997).…”

“…This gives a figure of 0.56 deer/km 2 or 1.4 deer/sq mi, which is consistent with the upper end of the range of 0.5 to 1.5 deer/sq mi cited earlier. Krausman et al (1997) measured the relative density of plant species in seasonal diets of desert mule deer in the King Valley, Arizona, region of the Sonoran Desert. The relative density of plant species in seasonal diets, based on feces, is presented in Efroymson et al (2001a).…”

Effects of replacement of alfalfa by inflorescences of Yucca carnerosana in the diet on performance of growing goats

“…This plant is abundant on Chihuahuan desert ranges. Inflorescences of Yuccas are readily consumed by bovines (Powell, 1988;Kerley et al, 1993) desert mule deer (Kerley et al, 1993, Krausman et al, 1997 and pronghorn (Kerley et al, 1993). Harvested inflorescences of Y. carnerosana serve as an important reserve forage for cattle during the dry season.…”