Archaeological and paleontological datasets are used in conservation to add time-depth to ecology. In central Texas several top carnivores including prehistoric Native American hunters have been extirpated or have had their historic ranges restricted, which has resulted in pest-level white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus texana) populations in some areas. Predator extermination has dramatically reduced the average body size of members of the extant predator guild, and large carnivores most capable of hunting white-tailed deer are extirpated. Character release in the remaining “large” predatorsmesocarnivoresis a predicted outcome related to the adaptive vacuum at the top of the trophic hierarchy. Differences in body size of deer between prehistory and modernity are expected given that a lack of predation likely has increased intraspecific competition for forage among deer resulting in smaller body size today. In fact modern deer from settings without harvest pressure are significantly smaller than those from harvested areas and from prehistoric deer. From a natural history perspective, this research highlights potential evolutionary causes and effects of top-predator removal on deer populations and related components of biological communities in central Texas.

Maintaining desired numbers of wildlife species requires an understanding of species-specific population dynamics. For ungulate species such as the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), understanding the neonatal survival rate of a population and factors that influence that survival rate, may be two of the most important factors to successful deer management. We examined neonatal survival in an eastern Kentucky population of deer living in relatively low densities (/ km2), with adequate habitat and supposedly poor population growth. Neonates (102) were captured in the summer birth periods of 2014 - 2016 and radio-monitored until the beginning of the fall archery deer season. We found moderate-to-low survival estimates to four months of 43% (95% CI: 29 – 57%) that are consistent with many areas in the Midwest and southeastern United States. Predation, including suspected predation events, from bobcats (Lynx rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) accounted for 80% of all neonate mortalities. A thorough examination of the survival and mortality in the neonate component of this population is discussed herein.

The habitat use of thirteen female and four male GPS collared white-tailed deer, captured in the Clear Lake area of Riding Mountain National Park between 2012 and 2014, was examined. Range sizes were smallest during the summer and largest during the breeding season for both sexes, with an additional peak in female range size occurring in April. Female deer displayed a greater association with areas of human use and infrastructure than males, with the highest use of these areas by females occurring during the late winter and early spring. This increased use of developed areas by deer during the winter and early spring is thought to relate to factors including food resource availability, snow depth, predator avoidance, and thermal cover. / October 2016

White-tailed deer are ecosystem engineers that dramatically alter forest understory vegetation. Consequently, deer can impact many species in a forest through both direct and indirect effects. One species that deer may indirectly affect is the gypsy moth, whose pupae are preyed upon by the white-footed mouse. Through alterations to understory habitat of mice, deer may reduce mouse predation on gypsy moth pupae. In this study, I tested for indirect effects of deer on the gypsy moth by comparing mouse abundance, vegetation properties, and predation on pupae inside, and outside, of long-term deer exclosures. Overall, I did not find evidence for indirect effects of deer on the gypsy moth. There was little effect of the exclosures on mouse abundance, predation rates, and habitat measures. High mouse abundances, which likely resulted from a large acorn mast the previous year, may be obscuring indirect effects that would be detected at lower mouse abundances.

This study examined variation in ectoparasite density and grooming behavior of naturally occurring white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in southwest Alabama. Stimulus-driven grooming as well as the intraspecific body size and vigilance principles of programmed grooming were tested. During the rut, males had a higher average tick (Ixodidae) density than females and exhibited complete separation of tick parasitism between non-rutting and rutting periods, supporting the vigilance principle. Stimulus-driven grooming was supported, as both fawns and yearlings had significantly higher fly (Hippoboscidae) and combined fly/tick densities than adults, and fawns oral groomed at a significantly higher rate than adults, even in the absence of allogrooming. Programmed and stimulus-driven grooming of deer examined in this study were not mutually exclusive but ectoparasite dependent.

White-tailed deer are one of the most sought after game species in Kentucky. While much of the Commonwealth boasts high deer populations, those in southeast Kentucky are viewed as relatively low compared to other regions, even after a decade of restrictive doe harvest and multiple years of population supplementation via translocation. We studied survival and cause specific mortality of a local population of deer near the Redbird District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Clay and Leslie County, Kentucky from January 2014 - January 2017. We estimated female annual survival at 0.89 (CI: 0.88-0.87), with an overall 3-year survival of 0.69 (CI: 0.56-0.84). Deer vehicle collisions and poaching were the most frequent mortality causes and represented 13 of 18 (72%) of mortalities. Managers should consider all forms of mortality and their relative importance in wildlife population dynamics when making harvest decisions. We recommend longer-term studies similar to ours to better understand population trends and inform regional management of this species in Kentucky.

The Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and the nearby adjoining City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee had experienced a rise in deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) to the point where safety for employees and residents became a concern. I investigated the effect of hunting, land cover, road mileage, season, lunar phase, sex, and change in traffic patterns that coincide with work shifts on DVCs from 1975 - 2008. The study area was divided into grids of 1.5 km² each for administration and data recording by managing agencies. Statistical analyses were performed on the ORR (121 grids) and GIS analyses were performed on the entire study area that included ORR and the city of Oak Ridge (190 grids). The number of DVCs in 1975 was 16 and reached a high of 273 in 1985. Therefore, managers initiated a hunting program in 1985 and recorded deer harvest numbers by grid each year. Deer harvest has been occurring from 1985 until present, except when hunting was cancelled due to security concerns after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. By 2008, the number of DVCs had decreased to 100 per year. When hunting first started in 1985, they harvested 926 deer. By 2008, that number was down to 481. I used GIS mapping to record DVCs, deer harvest per grid, landcover types, and mileage per grid to determine factors affecting DVCs on the smaller landscape. Following the initiation of annual hunts, both the annual deer harvest and the number of DVC’s have fallen, presumably because the overall deer population has declined from high pre-hunting levels. Deer harvest appears to be related to landcover characteristics, as a higher percentage of deer were harvested from forested areas than from other landcover types, as forested areas were most prominent. The months of October, November, and December had the highest DVC numbers. Increased traffic during starting and leaving shift times seem to increase the number of DVCs as well. Lunar phases only seem to significantly increase DVCs during the gestation and fawning seasons. Does are involved more frequently with DVCs than bucks during gestation, fawning and prerut, but not during the rutting season. I expect managers can use this data to guide intensive local management aimed at reducing DVCs by increasing the number of deer harvested and increased public education.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in Saskatchewan wild deer populations in 2000 which prompted disease management actions consisting of population reduction. Little is known about population structure, health status, interactions or movement patterns of deer in Saskatchewan and these factors are important in designing a management program for CWD. As part of an ongoing study on deer movement patterns of wild deer in southern Saskatchewan, a survey was conducted to: 1) determine prevalence of CWD and selected infectious agents in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and 2) identify infectious agents which could be used as a surrogate measure of the effectiveness of the adopted CWD management strategies. Tonsil biopsies, feces and blood were collected from 254 mule deer and 43 white-tailed deer during winters of 2006, 2007 and 2008. Immunohistochemical staining of tonsil biopsies for CWD revealed a prevalence of 2.4% (6/249) in mule deer and 0% (0/43) in white-tailed deer. Parasitological investigation of 253 fecal samples from mule deer identified eggs of nematodes in the superfamily Trichostrongyloidea (29.2%); and parasitic stages of the following genera: Nematodirus (7.1%), Skrjabinema (14.3%), Trichuris (0.8%), Moniezia (16.2%), Thysanosoma (12.2%), Orthostrongylus (35.2%), Eimeria (13.4%) and Giardia (0%, 0/137). A similar investigation of 42 white-tailed deer fecal samples identified parasitic stages of nematodes in the super family Trichostrongyloidea (4.8%) and in genera of Orthostrongylus (2.4%), Moniezia (2.4%) and Eimeria (2.4%). Dorsal-spined larvae were detected in 2.4% of the white-tailed deer fecal samples. In serum samples from 253 mule deer, antibodies (Ab) were detected against bovine herpesvirus1 (BoHV-1) (34.8%), parainfluenza-3 (PI-3) (56.5%), bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV-1) (30.8%) and Neospora caninum (15.4%, 36/245). In serum samples from 40 white-tailed deer, Ab to BoHV-1(32.5%), PI-3 (35%), BVD-1 (12.5%) and Neospora caninum (20.5%, 8/39) was detected. Based on relative host specificity, moderate prevalence and horizontal routes of transmission, herpesvirus, parainfluenza 3, Eimeria and Skrjabinema were identified as infectious agents which could potentially be used to evaluate the effectiveness of disease management strategies, which may in turn predict the response of CWD to these same strategies. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a herpesvirus was detected, in 42.1% (40/95) of retropharyngeal lymph nodes from hunter-submitted mule deer and white-tailed deer heads from Saskatchewan in 2007. DNA sequences of the partial DNA polymerase gene from this virus were 98 - 100% identical to mule deer lymphotropic herpesvirus (mule deer-LHV). A 3.6 kb contiguous sequence of mule deer-LHV genome was generated by genome walking (GenBank Accession number: HM014314). Use of a mule deer-LHV-specific PCR on buffy coat samples collected during winters of 2007 and 2008, detected mule deer-LHV in 42.1% (67/158) of mule deer and 33.3% (8/24) of white-tailed deer. Very little DNA sequence diversity in the partial sequences of glycoprotein B (gB) gene and the intergenic spacer regions between DPOL and gB gene of mule deer-LHV was observed among deer from different wildlife management zones. Mule deer-LHV is also a potential marker for evaluating the effectiveness of disease management activities because of its moderate prevalence, host specificity, ease of sample collection and the availability of a rapid and low-cost method for its detection. A variable region of the mule deer-LHV genome needs to be identified if this virus to be used as an inferential tool for studying host population structure.

Habitat group dioramas were developed depicting two types of Indiana habitat. A beaver-wolf habitat group diorama was constructed in a display case adjacent to C. L. 166 on the first floor, south hallway, of the Life Science wing of the Cooper Science Complex. A white-tailed deer habitat group diorama was constructed in a display case contained in the north hallway of the second floor of the Life Science wing of the Cooper Science Complex.Methods involved in the development of the aioramas included: collection of information through field studies and research, collection, identification and preservation of plant and animal specimens and development of the descriptive labels.The beaver-wolf habitat group diorama depicted a beaver habitat in early winter. The white-tailed deer habitat group illustrated a segment of white-tailed deer habitat group in Indiana in the spring.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in Saskatchewan wild deer populations in 2000 which prompted disease management actions consisting of population reduction. Little is known about population structure, health status, interactions or movement patterns of deer in Saskatchewan and these factors are important in designing a management program for CWD. As part of an ongoing study on deer movement patterns of wild deer in southern Saskatchewan, a survey was conducted to: 1) determine prevalence of CWD and selected infectious agents in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and 2) identify infectious agents which could be used as a surrogate measure of the effectiveness of the adopted CWD management strategies. Tonsil biopsies, feces and blood were collected from 254 mule deer and 43 white-tailed deer during winters of 2006, 2007 and 2008. Immunohistochemical staining of tonsil biopsies for CWD revealed a prevalence of 2.4% (6/249) in mule deer and 0% (0/43) in white-tailed deer. Parasitological investigation of 253 fecal samples from mule deer identified eggs of nematodes in the superfamily Trichostrongyloidea (29.2%); and parasitic stages of the following genera: Nematodirus (7.1%), Skrjabinema (14.3%), Trichuris (0.8%), Moniezia (16.2%), Thysanosoma (12.2%), Orthostrongylus (35.2%), Eimeria (13.4%) and Giardia (0%, 0/137). A similar investigation of 42 white-tailed deer fecal samples identified parasitic stages of nematodes in the super family Trichostrongyloidea (4.8%) and in genera of Orthostrongylus (2.4%), Moniezia (2.4%) and Eimeria (2.4%). Dorsal-spined larvae were detected in 2.4% of the white-tailed deer fecal samples. In serum samples from 253 mule deer, antibodies (Ab) were detected against bovine herpesvirus1 (BoHV-1) (34.8%), parainfluenza-3 (PI-3) (56.5%), bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV-1) (30.8%) and Neospora caninum (15.4%, 36/245). In serum samples from 40 white-tailed deer, Ab to BoHV-1(32.5%), PI-3 (35%), BVD-1 (12.5%) and Neospora caninum (20.5%, 8/39) was detected. Based on relative host specificity, moderate prevalence and horizontal routes of transmission, herpesvirus, parainfluenza 3, Eimeria and Skrjabinema were identified as infectious agents which could potentially be used to evaluate the effectiveness of disease management strategies, which may in turn predict the response of CWD to these same strategies. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a herpesvirus was detected, in 42.1% (40/95) of retropharyngeal lymph nodes from hunter-submitted mule deer and white-tailed deer heads from Saskatchewan in 2007. DNA sequences of the partial DNA polymerase gene from this virus were 98 - 100% identical to mule deer lymphotropic herpesvirus (mule deer-LHV). A 3.6 kb contiguous sequence of mule deer-LHV genome was generated by genome walking (GenBank Accession number: HM014314). Use of a mule deer-LHV-specific PCR on buffy coat samples collected during winters of 2007 and 2008, detected mule deer-LHV in 42.1% (67/158) of mule deer and 33.3% (8/24) of white-tailed deer. Very little DNA sequence diversity in the partial sequences of glycoprotein B (gB) gene and the intergenic spacer regions between DPOL and gB gene of mule deer-LHV was observed among deer from different wildlife management zones. Mule deer-LHV is also a potential marker for evaluating the effectiveness of disease management activities because of its moderate prevalence, host specificity, ease of sample collection and the availability of a rapid and low-cost method for its detection. A variable region of the mule deer-LHV genome needs to be identified if this virus to be used as an inferential tool for studying host population structure.