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White‐tailed deer neonate survival in the absence of predators
Ecosphere ( IF 2.7 ) Pub Date : 2020-06-25 , DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3122
Justin R. Dion 1 , Jacob M. Haus 1 , Joseph E. Rogerson 2 , Jacob L. Bowman 1
Affiliation  

Several factors influence neonate survival rates in white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and an emphasis on predation as the primary limiting factor to neonate recruitment may serve to detract researchers from understanding other influential variables. We estimated survival and cause‐specific mortality of white‐tailed deer neonates in the absence of predators with an emphasis on assessing how birth mass, dam maturity, and weather covariates affect neonate survival. Additionally, we examined the influence of capture method (opportunistic searches vs. vaginal implant transmitter; VIT) on survival estimates. We captured 109 neonates using opportunistic capture (n = 55) and VITs (n = 54) in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, during 2016 and 2017. There are no established predator populations (i.e., black bear, bobcat, and coyote) within the study area. We observed greater 90‐d survival rates in opportunistically captured neonates (0.69, 95% CI = 0.55–0.87) compared to VIT‐captured neonates (0.44, 95% CI = 0.34–0.61), a difference driven by inobservance of early‐life mortality events among neonates captured opportunistically. Natural causes excluding predation (e.g., disease, emaciation, and birth defects) accounted for all observed mortality (n = 42). Mortality related to disease, emaciation, and birth defects typically occurred in the first 7 d of life and was underrepresented in the opportunistically captured sample. Birth mass, dam age class, and precipitation influenced neonate mortality risk within the first 7 d of life, but no variables were associated with survival from 8 to 28 d of life. Non‐predation‐related mortality causes in our study area resulted in survival rates comparable to regions with established predator communities. Non‐predation‐related mortality may be the ultimate driving factor controlling neonatal survival in other regions but can be obfuscated by more proximal mortality sources, such as predation.

中文翻译:

没有捕食者的白尾鹿新生儿生存

有几个因素影响白尾鹿(Odocoileus virginianus)的新生儿存活率,强调掠食是新生儿募集的主要限制因素,可能会削弱研究人员对其他影响变量的理解。我们在没有捕食者的情况下估计了白尾鹿新生儿的存活率和特定原因的死亡率,着重评估了出生质量,大坝成熟度和天气协变量如何影响新生儿存活率。此外,我们研究了捕获方法(机会搜索与阴道植入物传输器; VIT)对生存率估计的影响。我们使用机会捕获(n  = 55)和VIT(n = 54)在2016年至2017年期间位于美国特拉华州的苏塞克斯县。研究区域内没有既定的捕食者种群(即黑熊,山猫和土狼)。我们观察到,机会性捕获的新生儿(0.69,95%CI = 0.55–0.87)比VIT捕获的新生儿(0.44,95%CI = 0.34–0.61)具有更高的90 d生存率,这是由于对早期生命的忽视所致新生儿死亡事件是机会性捕获的。排除掠食性疾病(例如疾病,消瘦和先天缺陷)的自然原因占所有观察到的死亡率(n = 42)。与疾病,消瘦和先天缺陷相关的死亡率通常发生在生命的前7天,而机会捕获的样本中的死亡率却不足。出生质量,水坝年龄和降水量影响了出生后7天内的新生儿死亡风险,但与出生8到28 d的存活率没有相关的变量。在我们研究区域中,与捕食者无关的死亡原因导致的存活率与拥有捕食者群落的地区相当。与非捕食相关的死亡率可能是控制其他地区新生儿存活的最终驱动因素,但可能被诸如捕食等更多近端死亡率来源所混淆。
更新日期:2020-06-25
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