Download or read book Factors Influencing Scaling Relationships of Body Mass and Antler Mass in White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus written by Willis P. Sontheimer and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Antlers are a costly trait that require skeletal reserves to grow to a large size. Thus, insight into variation in antler size requires understanding the connection between antler and body size, which can be summarized through ontogenetic and static scaling relationships. Both types of scaling relationships are needed to examine the influence of factors besides body mass on antler growth at different ages and whether the influence of these factors diminish with age. Size deficits influenced by diet variability and maternal effects might decline during ontogeny through compensatory growth. I sought insight into the influences of diet and maternal attributes of mother's age at birth of offspring and litter size on body-antler size relationships throughout ontogeny and at discrete ages. I also examined whether diet and maternal effects diminished with age of males.

Download or read book Maternal Factors Affect Individual and Population Level Morphometrics of Captive Male White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus written by Eric S. Michel and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maternal factors have the potential to influence the morphometrics of offspring; however, the magnitude and persistence of those influences are not well known. I investigated the extent to which maternal factors influenced offspring phenotype at the individual and population level for captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) originating from three distinct physiographic regions of Mississippi, USA. First, I tested whether male white-tailed deer displayed improvements in weaponry and body size after two generations of being released from nutritional restrictions. I found that improved nutrition positively influenced all morphometrics; however, we observed variation in magnitude of improvement. Antler size was most responsive to improved nutrition while body mass and skeletal structures were less responsive; potentially indicating an adaptive strategy allowing males to increase yearly reproductive success without jeopardizing lifetime reproductive success. Second, we assessed whether maternal characteristics, early life characteristics or a combination of both persistently influenced morphometrics throughout maturity. I found that late birth date positively influenced offspring body mass through three-years of age; indicating that late-born fawns over-compensated for a late start to life. I also identified an indirect silver-spoon effect as early-, heavy-born fawns were heavy juveniles. In turn, heavy juveniles were also heavy adults. Therefore, male white-tailed deer may gain reproductive opportunities by displaying one of two strategies to increase body mass. Lastly, I estimated heritability for six antler characteristics and quantified the influence of maternal factors such as parturition date and litter size on the predictability of antler size. All antler characteristics were highly heritable. Yearling antler size was a moderate predictor of antler size later in life, but accounting for maternal factors greatly improved predictability. The influence of maternal factors decreased with increasing male age suggesting that compensation for the negative influence of maternal factors may occur after an individual's first year of life. My results suggest that although antler characteristics are highly heritable, the large influence of maternal factors on predictability indicates that use of yearling antler size as selective harvest criteria may not achieve all management goals.

Download or read book Effects of Age Gut Fill and Sex on Dressed Mass whole Mass Relationships of White tailed Deer written by Jorge Maldonado and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hunters and management agencies are often interested in whole mass of harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) but measuring whole mass in the field is challenging, which is why hunters often dress deer. Dressed mass consists of the carcass mass minus organs in the abdominal, thoracic, pelvic cavities as well as any blood loss. Dressed mass is strongly related to whole mass but covariates of site where deer was harvested, age, sex, body fat, and lactation state of females might also improve predicting whole mass. Also, gut fill variation should help explain why some covariates are influential. Using data from three different sites, which contained deer of various ages, sexes, and lactation states of females, I analyzed the effects of site, age, sex, body fat, lactation state of females, and gut fill on relationships between dressed mass and whole mass (n = 432). Rumen-reticulum fill served as my surrogate of gut fill because these compartments comprise 50 - 70 percent of gut capacity. I analyzed linear regression models and compared them for fit and parsimony with a Bayesian Information Criterion model selection analysis. The selected model had statistically significant predictors of dressed mass, age, sex, lactation status of females, and site. Gut fill also influenced dressed mass - whole mass relationships. Variation in gut fill across sites and due to age, sex, and lactation status of females was consistent with effects of these covariates on dressed mass - whole mass relationships. Lastly, I standardized variables in the selected model to have a mean of zero and standard deviation of one to assess the extent of influence of dressed mass and covariates on whole mass. Dressed mass had a much larger influence on whole mass than covariates. Although site, age, sex, and lactation status of females are influential, the improvement in predicting whole mass is slight. First and foremost, to accurately predict the whole mass of small to large deer requires measuring animals that range widely in dressed body mass.

Download or read book Rumen reticulum and Liver Mass Relationships in White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus Differ Between Females and Males written by Gayatri Bhaskar and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relationships between organ masses with high energetic demands influence metabolic demands in mammals. Previous studies have estimated allometric relationships between body mass and organ masses in white-tailed deer. To my knowledge, however, there has been no investigation into the relationship between rumen-reticulum organ mass and liver mass in any ungulate. Furthermore, energetically demanding life history events such as lactation in females and mating in males should affect organ workloads. Understanding the codependent relationships of these organs could be insightful to understanding the energy conservation strategy of white-tailed deer. I examined relationships between rumen-reticulum and liver mass in white-tailed deer in relation to the mating season, to see if relationships differed between females and males. I collected 151 white-tailed deer (68 males and 83 females) from Kerr Wildlife Management Area (Kerr WMA) breeding pens, Central Texas, and a private ranch in South Texas (SOTX). Deer from the Kerr WMA pens were obtained during the peak of the mating season, whereas deer from SOTX were collected two months prior to the mating season. There was a positive relationship between masses of the rumen-reticulum organ and liver at both study areas. However, this relationship differed between males and females. Males exhibited heavier livers in relation to rumen-reticulum organ masses than females at both study areas. These findings might be useful to understanding physiological changes during energetically demanding periods in male and female white-tailed deer.

Download or read book Cumulated Index Medicus written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 1270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Factors Influencing Antler Size in Free ranging White tailed Deer and Mark recapture Estimates of Demographic Traits written by John S. Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Influences of Habitat Composition Plant Phenology and Population Density on Autumn Indices of Body Condition in a Northern White tailed Deer Population written by Anouk Simard and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Body condition has a strong influence on reproduction and survival. Consequently, understanding spatiotemporal variation in body condition may help identify processes that determine life history, and thus demography. The effect of environmental variables on individuals' body condition, although widely documented, is generally achieved by investigating habitat, plant phenology, or density separately, such that cumulative or interactive effects can rarely be considered. We investigated how spatial and annual variation in habitat composition, deer density, and vegetation productivity influenced white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) body condition during the breeding period. We detailed changes in body condition using several indices, including body mass, peroneus muscle mass, rump fat, kidney fat index, and antler size in>4,000 male and female deer of different ages harvested during September-December, 2002-2006 on Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada. Overall, females and yearlings harvested in fir forests were in poorer condition than those harvested in peatlands or spruce forests, whereas body condition of adult males was greater when open habitats were highly available. High deer density reduced autumn gains in fat, muscle mass, and body mass in males and yearlings, and in fat for females. Surprisingly, density positively affected the size of male antlers. High density at birth favored fat accumulation in adult females, suggesting strong selective pressure that removed low-quality individuals in early age at high deer density. Low Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in spring was associated with delayed but rapid spring green-up, and favored higher body condition in autumn. Reproduction affected most parameters of body condition; lactating females had less mass, fat, and muscle than non-lactating females, whereas mass and fat of males>4 years old steeply declined during the rut. Body mass and fat reserves showed a stronger response to density, habitat, NDVI, and reproduction than muscle mass. Body mass was a good integrating measure of fat and muscle mass, although allocation between muscle growth and energy storage was confounded. Our study highlighted the influence of environmental conditions on individual fat reserves, muscle mass, and body mass in autumn, with potential effects on reproduction and winter survival. Appropriate monitoring of body-condition indices in the fall can track the effect of environmental variables and management practices on animal populations.

Download or read book Body Size Rumen reticulum Functions and Dietary Nutrition of White tailed Deer written by Ryan S. Luna and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ruminants have a highly specialized digestive system which allows them to obtain nutrients from fibrous forage. The morphology of this digestive system changes with respect to the quality and quantity of consumed forage. Few studies have explicitly examined variation in ruminant digestive system morphology in semi-arid environments at low latitudes. The aim of my dissertation was to examine scaling relationships of anatomical and physiological rumen-reticulum attributes, dietary nutrition, rumen- reticulum fill, reserve capacity, and surface area of rumen mucosa across a body mass gradient of white-tailed deer in a semi-arid environment. My findings indicate that scaling relationships between body mass and rumen-reticulum capacity were isometric. With regard to nutrition, juveniles and sub-adults consumed a higher quality diet (assessed by the ratio of protein to less digestible and indigestible carbohydrates), which should aid in meeting their high mass-specific metabolic demands. Factors governing rumen-reticulum function were complex because rumen-reticulum fill, reserve capacity, and absorptive surface area of the rumen mucosa were influenced by differing factors. One key finding was that surface area of the rumen mucosa had and inverse relationship with reserve capacity. This inverse relationship would allow individuals in a semi-arid environment to conserve metabolically expensive rumen-reticulum tissue, yet still allow them to accommodate sudden changes in forage quality. Additionally, my research indicates that white-tailed deer in a semi-arid environment had less pronounced seasonal changes in their surface area of rumen mucosa than deer at higher latitudes. My findings contain relevant information to intraspecific scaling relationships, forage niche partitioning, and anatomical patterns of the rumen-reticulum of deer inhabiting semi-arid environments.

Download or read book Factors Affecting Morphometrics and Epiphyseal Closure of White tailed Deer written by Emily Brooke Flinn and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Factors affecting morphometrics and epiphyseal closure are important in understanding regional variation and growth of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). I compared body and antler growth from birth to 3 years of age in captive, first-generation, male white-tailed deer from three regions with varying soil quality and deer morphometrics. I also determined gender and age effects on epiphyseal closure timing in captive white-tailed deer. I found regional morphological variation present in first-generation male deer, which may be caused by regional genetic variation or lingering maternal effects. Determining cause of regional morphological variation will require data collection through a second-generation of males raised on the controlled diet. Epiphyseal closure timing was associated positively with age. Two of the four epiphyseal plates examined were affected by gender, with females closing prior to males. Morphometric and epiphyseal data confirm that age and gender affect epiphyseal closure timing in white-tailed deer.

Download or read book Biological Agricultural Index written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 2984 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Body Weight and Age Influences on Liver Weight in White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus written by Claire A. Parra and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mammalian liver is integral to homeostasis, metabolism, and reproduction. Previous research into the liver has mainly examined liver function; there have been far fewer investigations into how liver weight is coupled to body weight, age, and reproductive events like lactation. Understanding how these variables are coupled to liver weight may be useful to understanding reproductive effort as animal age. I examined the scaling relationship between body weight and liver weight and the influences of age, sex, body condition (back fat), tooth wear, and lactation on liver weight to shed insight into the reproductive effort of aging white-tailed deer. White-tailed deer (62 males, 71 females) from Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Texas, and a private ranch near Hebbronville, Texas, were measured. There was an allometric relationship between body weight and liver weight. Sex and age were predictors of liver weight at Kerr WMA and sex, back fat, and lactation were significant predictors at the private ranch. Controlling for body weight, males had heavier livers than females and age was positively related to liver weight. My findings indicate that liver weight reflects metabolic and reproductive demands and that older animals can potentially invest more effort in reproduction because of larger livers. These findings might be useful to understanding senescence and terminal investment on reproduction in older deer.

Download or read book Factors Influencing White tailed Deer Activity Patterns and Habitat Use written by Paul Beier and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Biology and Management of White tailed Deer written by David G. Hewitt and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Wildlife Society Outstanding Edited Book Award for 2013! Winner of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society Outstanding Book Award for 2011! Winner of a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award for 2011! Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer organizes and presents information on the most studied large mammal species in the world. The book covers the evolutionary history of the species, its anatomy, physiology, and nutrition, population dynamics, and ecology across its vast range (from central Canada through northern South America). The book then discusses the history of management of white-tailed deer, beginning with early Native Americans and progressing through management by Europeans and examining population lows in the early 1900s, restocking efforts through the mid 1900s, and recent, overabundant populations that are becoming difficult to manage in many areas. Features: Co-published with the Quality Deer Management Association Compiles valuable information for white-tailed deer enthusiasts, managers, and biologists Written by an authoritative author team from diverse backgrounds Integrates white-tailed deer biology and management into a single volume Provides a thorough treatment of white-tailed deer antler biology Includes downloadable resources with color images The backbone of many state wildlife management agencies' policies and a featured hunting species through much of their range, white-tailed deer are an important species ecologically, socially, and scientifically in most areas of North America. Highly adaptable and now living in close proximity to humans in many areas, white-tailed deer are both the face of nature and the source of conflict with motorists, home-owners, and agricultural producers. Capturing the diverse aspects of white-tailed deer research, Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer is a reflection of the resources invested in the study of the species’ effects on ecosystems, predator-prey dynamics, population regulation, foraging behavior, and browser physiology.

Download or read book Movements Relatedness and Modeled Genetic Manipulation of White tailed Deer written by Stephen Lance Webb and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been intensively studied across their range. However, many aspects of the white-tailed deer's ecology have not been studied or are difficult to study. The advent of global positioning system (GPS) collar technology and molecular genetics techniques now allows researchers to collect fine-scale and cryptic phenomena. In addition, selective harvest of male white-tailed deer, based on antler size, has not been critically evaluated. Thus, development and use of quantitative genetics models will be useful for elucidating the effects of selective harvest on mean population antler size. I used GPS collar technology to further understand white-tailed deer movement ecology. First, I determined the efficacy and influence of a high-tensile electric fence (HTEF) on deer movements. The HTEF controlled deer movements when properly maintained and had little influence on deer spatial dynamics, making it a safe and cost-effective alternative to traditional fencing. Second, I studied fine-scale deer movements using GPS collars collecting locations every 15 minutes. Hourly deer movements were greatest in the morning and evening. Parturition and rut influenced movements of females and males, respectively whereas weather and moon phase had minimal influence on movements. Molecular genetics techniques are becoming more widespread and accessible, which may allow insight into the link between genetics and antler size. I found deer in 3 diverse populations from Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas were relatively heterozygous and unrelated. Groups of deer with similar antler characteristics did not appear to be inbred or share common ancestors. In addition, there was not a strong link between individual multi-locus heterozygosity and antler points or score. Selective harvest has been implicated in causing negative evolutionary and biological responses in several ungulate species. To better determine how selective harvest (i.e., culling; the removal of deer with inferior antlers) affects white-tailed deer antler size, I used quantitative genetic models to simulate response of deer antlers to selection. In simulated controlled breeding situations response to selection was rapid, resulting in improvement in antler size. In simulated free-ranging populations response of antler size to selection was slow and only resulted in minimal increases in antler points after 20 years.

Download or read book Relationship of Weight and Antler Development of Illinois Deer Odocoileus Virginianus to Land use Practices written by William F. Richie and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Relationships Linking Age and Body Mass to Vital Rates written by Victor Ronget and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Individuals varies in terms of survival and reproduction. Most of those variations in vital rates can be linked to individual characteristics such as age or body mass. Demographic models were developed to make prediction on those trait-structured populations and are now often used to manage wild populations. However, the amount of data needed to perform those models is not available for every populations. To overcome this issue, I tried in my thesis to assess the general patterns for the relationships linking age and body mass to the vital rates in birds and mammals. By comparing relationship extracted in the literature, I was then able to assess the general effect of body or age on vital rates as well as the biological factor explaining the variation of those relationships between species and populations. I first assess how body mass influence vital rates in birds and mammals. I demonstrated the positive effect of offspring body mass on offspring survival and showed how the relative importance of each causes of mortality influence this relationship, with for instance a negative effect of the predation rate on the intensity of the relationship. I also showed that mother body mass is positively related to offspring body mass and that heavier mother are also more likely to reproduce. On a second part I focused on describing the relationship between age and survival for mammals. We built a database MALDDABA compiling all relationships linking vital rates to age for wild mammals from life tables reported in the literature. Using life table data compiled in the database I was able to demonstrate that females live on average longer than males in wild populations of mammals. I then critically assess the metrics of longevity and provide new insight to describe the relationship between mortality and age. With my thesis I provided new views on the uses of comparative approach to highlight the major factors influencing the population dynamic in the wild.

Download or read book Some Aspects of Bone Metabolism Associated with Antler Growth in White tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus written by Karen Van Der Eems and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: