Nutritional condition and fertility of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from areas with contrasting histories of hunting.

摘要

The nutritional condition and pregnancy rates of 58 female white-tailed deer, O. virginianus, from 5 areas in Indiana, USA, with differing herd densities and histories of hunting were evaluated. Significant differences among sites for 5 external measures of body size, 6 physiological indicators of nutritional restriction, and 5 internal postmortem measures of body size and fat reserves. Multivariate assessment of nutritional condition provided an appreciable increase in classification of deer to their site of origin relative to reliance on any single variable. In addition, postmortem variables and physiological indicators contributed significantly to ability to correctly classify deer. Nearly all measures of nutrition or stress indicated that deerfrom sites hunted annually were in better nutritional condition than deer from sites hunted only once in the past several decades. Fertility rates differed significantly among the sites and varied inversely with density. Comparison with other studies within the central and northern hardwood regions suggests that weak density dependence in fertility rates occurs among adult does, although substantial reproduction still occurs when densities exceed 50 deer/km2. Density effects become progressively stronger for first-year and yearling females, with reproduction in the former age group virtually ceasing when densities exceed 30 deer/km2.