Mule deer forage availability and quality at the chihuahun desert rangelands, mexico after a severe 3-year drougth
Mule deer historic range in Mexico has declined dramatically in the last decade. Forage availability and quality at the Chihuahuan Desert may play an important role sustaining populations at the southern end of their current distribution. We evaluated forage availability and quality at the end of...
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Other Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Artículo |
Language: | en_US |
Published: |
2018
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1080/23312025.2018.1536315 https://doi.org/10.1080/23312025.2018.1536315 |
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Summary: | Mule deer historic range in Mexico has declined dramatically in the last decade.
Forage availability and quality at the Chihuahuan Desert may play an important
role sustaining populations at the southern end of their current distribution. We
evaluated forage availability and quality at the end of a three-year drought at two
different localities in the Chihuahuan Desert: Old Net and Pulpit, we measured
plant availability and quality, diet content and calculated diet preference indices.
Vegetation at Old Net consisted primarily of both succulents (47%) and treesshrubs
(42%) while Pulpit had more grasses (60%) and herbs (24%) (P<0.005).
Feces collected at the Pulpit presented a high proportion of herbs (44%), while
those collected at Old Net contained more trees and shrubs (53%). Preference
index suggests that mule deer prefer herbs and overlook grasses, but there is no
strong selection for any particular plant. Our results suggest that forage is
appropriate to sustain mule deer populations, however, we found considerable
variation in both localities suggesting a patchy landscape. More information
regarding forage nutritional status and diet preferences can enhance our
understanding on mule deer populations dynamics in the chihuahuan desert. |
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