Examining hypotheses about feeding strategies of white-tailed deer

Abstract

Examined whether the forage abundance hypothesis or the selective quality hypothesis could explain the feeding strategies of Odocoileus virginianus on Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge and the Ames Plantation, Tennessee. The botanical composition of the diets on Ames was characterized by agricultural crops, browse, and acorns in autumn and winter, and browse, forbs, and agricultural crops in spring and summer. Acorns were common in autumn and winter diets on Hatchie, as were browse and agricultural crops. Spring and summer diets were high in browse and forbs and, to a lesser extent, agricultural crops. Diets were lower in crude fat, crude protein, and fiber in spring and higher in most nutritional parameters in autumn and winter at both sites. Neither the nutritional value nor the abundance of forages had a strong impact on diet in many of the seasons and years of the study as predicted by the forage abundance hypothesis. Spearman's correlation coefficients of forage consumption and abundance in spring and summer were positive and much higher than in autumn and winter at both sites. Deer are apparently less selective during seasons of lower dietary fiber and higher forage abundance. Data support the selective quality hypothesis. -from Authors

Publication Title

Canadian Journal of Zoology

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