Energy Requirements of Mule Deer Fawns in Winter

Baker, Dan L.; Johnson, Dewey; Carpenter, Len H.; Wallmo, O. C.; Gill, R. Bruce

doi:10.2307/3800647

Cited by 19 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The fawns in our study ate about the same dry weight of feed/kg body weight as the Colorado Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawns (Baker et al 1979), but 40-50% more than the New Hampshire White-tailed Deer fawns fed the same diet as ours (Thompsonet al 1973). Baker et al (1979) found the winter maintenance requirements for the Mule Deer fawns held outside under ambient conditions to be 158 kcal ME/kg W® while Thompson et al (1973) computed 121 kcal ME/kg W®"? in January and 108 kcal ME/kg W®?…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

“…Food consumption per se is not a very precise measure of energy metabolism but by comparing the results to laboratory studies of the maintenance energy requirements for deer fawns (Thompson et al 1973;Baker et al 1979), some predictive values for free-ranging animals can be obtained. The fawns in our study ate about the same dry weight of feed/kg body weight as the Colorado Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawns (Baker et al 1979), but 40-50% more than the New Hampshire White-tailed Deer fawns fed the same diet as ours (Thompsonet al 1973). Baker et al (1979) found the winter maintenance requirements for the Mule Deer fawns held outside under ambient conditions to be 158 kcal ME/kg W® while Thompson et al (1973) computed 121 kcal ME/kg W®"?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Some effects of winter shelter conditions on White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, fawns

Gilbert,

Bateman

1983

The Canadian Field-Naturalist

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The behavior of 11 White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns was observed from December 1970 through March 1971. The animals were maintained in individual pens under cover conditions that were naturally wooded, clear-cut, or clear-cut with an artificial windbreak. Commercial feed was supplied ad libitum and consumption measured weekly. The responses of the animals to winter climatic conditions were monitored. The deer maintained in the clear-cut pens with an artificial windbreak lost a greater percentage of their body weight, had a lower kidney fat index, and ate less relative to body weight than the deer in the other pens. Fewer opportunities for socialization by these deer was considered partially responsible for these results. Solar radiation accounted for about 28 percent of the variation in food consumption. Food intake was maximum at a mean daily ambient temperature of -15°C, minimum at -4°C and decreased below -15°C. Greater feeding and other activity occurred when skies were overcast, when the barometer was falling and when vapor pressure humidity was increasing. The location of bed sites was affected primarily by the location of deer in adjacent pens. Sites that were potentially solar exposed were selected more often on clear than overcast days. The deer in the clear-cut pens maintained trails around the periphery of their enclosures and used those portions of the trails along fences where other deer were present more than those portions where no deer were adjacent. The animals seldom moved off their trail networks when snow thickness exceeded 30 cm. Energy costs of maintenance under these free-ranging conditions were higher than those predicted from laboratory studies by a factor of 2.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some effects of winter shelter conditions on White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, fawns

Gilbert,

Bateman

1983

The Canadian Field-Naturalist

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“…The species occupies a wide range of habitats including prairie in the east, woodlands and all forest types of the Rocky Mountains in the northwest, and the desert scrub in the southwest (Wallmo ). Mule deer habitats generally are characterized by early stages of plant succession, mixed plant communities and available browse (Baker et al , Carpenter et al , Wallmo ). Forage species may suffer from summer drought with consequences on fawn survival at least in the southern and western areas of mule deer range (Hurley et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting mule deer recruitment from climate oscillations for harvest management on the northern Great Plains

et al. 2015

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We analyzed a unique 51-year time series for a population of mule deer in the North Dakota badlands, USA to examine the effects of seasonal weather on autumn recruitment. Winter weather recorded prior to birth of fawns and weather conditions recorded during spring the previous year (lagged effect), but not during spring or summer after birth, were related to observed patterns in autumn recruitment. When deer density was low (approx. 1 deer/km 2 ) during the 1960s, fawn/female ratios were high ranging from 1.1 to 1.4 when minimum temperatures during the prior winter averaged À168 C and À88 C, respectively. Likewise, during the 2000s, when deer density was high (approx. 3 deer/km 2 ), fawn/female ratios ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 when minimum daily temperatures during the previous winter were À168 C and À88 C, respectively. Large-scale Pacific-based climatic indices (>2,000 km to the Pacific coast) were correlated with local weather and helped explain variability in autumn recruitment. Higher values of the multivariate el niño southern oscillation and Pacific decadal oscillation were correlated with warmer and drier winters in the North Dakota badlands, whereas the North Pacific Index was correlated with colder and snowy winters. The ability to predict recruitment from local weather or from broad-scale climate indices (oscillations) provides greater opportunities for conservation and management, such as adjusting harvest quotas prior to autumn harvest.

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“…Individuals which obtain higher daily nutrient intake rates have higher net offspring production (Verme, 1967(Verme, , 1969Langeneau and Lerg, 1976). Also, fawns grow during winter and growth rate is correlated with nutrient intake rate (Baker et al, 1979;Hoiter et al, 1979). Increased growth increases size at maturity and may consequently increase fitness (survival and reproduction) (Robinson, 1962;Townsend, 1973;Clutton-Brock et al, 1982).…”

Section: -7653mentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal diet selection by white-tailed deer: Balancing reproduction with starvation risk

Schmitz

1992

Evol Ecol

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SummaryEnergy intake rates of wintering deer vary over time because of variation in the abundance and quality of their natural foods. Accordingly, there is a chance that energy requirements will not be satisfied in a feeding period. This is especially critical because deer are reproductive during winter; hence selecting diets to minimize the risk of starvation may not maximize fitness. I examined diet selection by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) using a risk-sensitive foraging model which predicts the optimal diet when foragers face starvation risks during a reproductive period. Optimal diets were estimated by quantifying the mean and variance in energy intake rate deer could obtain when selecting different potential diets and substituting these values into functions for estimating offspring production and starvation risk. I conducted a field experiment to ask whether deer selected deciduous and coniferous twigs according to model predictions. Starvation risk was manipulated by providing deer supplemental feed. When faced with starvation risks, deer appeared to select diets that balanced offspring production with starvation risk. When starvation risk was eliminated, deer tended to select diets that simply maximized their mean energy intake rates.

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Energy Requirements of Mule Deer Fawns in Winter

Cited by 19 publications

References 16 publications

Some effects of winter shelter conditions on White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, fawns

Some effects of winter shelter conditions on White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, fawns

Predicting mule deer recruitment from climate oscillations for harvest management on the northern Great Plains

Optimal diet selection by white-tailed deer: Balancing reproduction with starvation risk

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