Article
Forestry
Myriam Cadotte, Julien H. Richard, Jean A. Berube, Steeve D. Cote
Summary: Research conducted on Anticosti Island in Canada revealed that white-tailed deer consume a large variety of fungal species, including up to 4979 different species. Female deer consumed a higher diversity of mushrooms compared to males, with a significant increase in mushroom consumption diversity among deer in 2015. Adult deer tended to consume a wider variety of mushrooms than juveniles.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
James T. Johnson, Richard B. Chandler, L. Mike Conner, Michael J. Cherry, Charlie H. Killmaster, Kristina L. Johannsen, Karl Miller
Summary: Bait is often used to attract wildlife for various purposes, but it can alter animal behavior and distribution. Short-term baiting was found to affect white-tailed deer's space use within home ranges, potentially enhancing disease transmission and changing harvest susceptibility. This study highlights the importance of understanding how baiting impacts wildlife behavior and distribution for effective management and research.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
P. Roden-Reynolds, C. M. Kent, A. Y. Li, J. M. Mullinax
Summary: Understanding the ecology and behavior of white-tailed deer in urban and suburban areas is crucial for managing conflicts and preventing zoonotic diseases. This study in Howard County, Maryland used GPS collars to track deer movements and found that factors such as sex, time, and year influenced their speed, activity, and proximity to residential areas. Deer were observed moving into residential areas at night, especially in winter, and showed increased speed and activity after sunrise and sunset, with distinct seasonal changes. These findings have important implications for deer population management and preventing tick transmission to residential areas.
Article
Microbiology
Andrew D. Marques, Scott Sherrill-Mix, John K. Everett, Hriju Adhikari, Shantan Reddy, Julie C. Ellis, Haley Zeliff, Sabrina S. Greening, Carolyn C. Cannuscio, Katherine M. Strelau, Ronald G. Collman, Brendan J. Kelly, Kyle G. Rodino, Frederic D. Bushman, Roderick B. Gagne, Eman Anis
Summary: White-tailed deer in Pennsylvania were found to have a high level of infection with SARS-CoV-2, indicating that they may serve as a potential reservoir for the virus to transmit back to humans. The variants of the virus in deer show significant differences from those in humans.
Article
Forestry
Richard D. Sample, Zackary J. Delisle, Jameson M. Pierce, Robert K. Swihart, Joe N. Caudell, Michael A. Jenkins
Summary: Selection of woody species by white-tailed deer is influenced by deer densities, food availability, and landscape characteristics. Determining selection rankings across different regional landscapes is important for deer and forest management. This study developed selection rankings for 63 species within woodlots across Indiana and found that both woodlot and landscape-scale variables influenced deer's selection of browse species.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
David M. Poche, Donald Wagner, Kylie Green, Zachary Smith, Noah Hawthorne, Batchimeg Tseveenjav, Richard M. Poche
Summary: This study investigated the efficacy of a fipronil-based deer feed in controlling two tick species parasitizing white-tailed deer. The results showed that the feed effectively controlled tick populations and reduced pathogen-infected tick bites. Further field trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and toxicology of the product in wild deer populations.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Gabrielle N. Ripa, Steve Demarais, Joshua J. Granger, Richard G. Hamrick, Raymond B. Iglay
Summary: In three different ecoregions in Mississippi, the study aimed to determine the effects of deer herbivory on vegetation structure and composition. The results showed no treatment effects on vegetation composition and structure, but there were changes in overstory canopy conditions between 2005 and 2021, resulting in a decrease in certain plant species preferred by deer. The lack of treatment effects may be due to overstory conditions, low deer densities, and baseline conditions reflecting past herbivory effects.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Matthew T. Milholland, Guang Xu, Stephen M. Rich, Erika T. Machtinger, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Andrew Y. Li
Summary: The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, can acquire and transmit tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) responsible for diseases such as human granulocytic anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum), babesiosis (Babesia microti), Lyme borreliosis (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato), and Borrelia miyamotoi disease in the northeastern United States. Coinfections are common, with higher rates in ticks feeding from deer and lower rates in questing ticks.
VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sheena J. Dorak, Csaba Varga, Mark G. Ruder, Peg Gronemeyer, Nelda A. Rivera, Douglas R. Dufford, Daniel J. Skinner, Alfred L. Roca, Jan Novakofski, Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla
Summary: Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue (BT) are spreading northward in North America, causing high mortality in wild white-tailed deer. The study highlights the importance of capturing the geographic location, confirming viral causes, and expanding surveillance.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Caleb M. McKinney, Ronald E. Masters, Arjun Adhikari, Bijesh Mishra, Omkar Joshi, Chris B. Zou, Rodney E. Will
Summary: White-tailed deer hunting in the USA is a significant economic activity, with annual expenditures of over $12.9 billion. Thinning and prescribed fire can enhance deer forage quantity and quality. The study evaluated the long-term effects of different combinations of fire return intervals and tree harvest on forage productivity and protein content. The results showed that frequent fire maintenance in savanna systems resulted in significantly greater aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and increased protein concentrations of understory species in forests can provide higher quality forage in summer when deer have higher nutritional demands. Balancing a mix of savanna and woodland may be ideal for optimizing forage quantity and protein content.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Sarah A. Hamer, Chase Nunez, Christopher M. Roundy, Wendy Tang, Logan Thomas, Jack Richison, Jamie S. Benn, Lisa D. Auckland, Terry Hensley, Walter E. Cook, Alex Pauvolid-Correa, Gabriel L. Hamer
Summary: A captive herd of white-tailed deer in central Texas was found to have a seroprevalence of >94% with SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Retrospective analysis of archived serum samples revealed seroconversion in all animals between December 2020 and January 2021. Prospective sampling indicated that neutralizing antibodies persisted for at least 13 months in 90.5% of the animals, with two animals becoming seronegative after six and eight months. While antibody titres generally decreased over time, three deer showed temporary 4- to 8-fold increases in plaque reduction neutralization test titres one month after seroconversion, suggesting a possible anamnestic response.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephen L. Webb, Randy W. DeYoung, Stephen Demarais, Bronson K. Strickland, Kenneth L. Gee
Summary: The study suggests that genetic relatedness has minimal impact on antler characteristics and the differences in antler quality cannot be explained by inbreeding or heterozygosity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Todd M. Kautz, Nicholas L. Fowler, Tyler R. Petroelje, Jared F. Duquette, Dean E. Beyer, Jerrold L. Belant
Summary: Neonatal mortality in white-tailed deer is influenced by landscape and physiological characteristics, with human development reducing predation risk but increasing anthropogenic mortality. Smaller birth mass increases the risk of non-predation natural mortality. The study highlights the interaction between landscape attributes, fawn characteristics, and mortality causes.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
David L. Gorchov, Bernd Blossey, Kristine M. Averill, Andrea Davalos, J. Mason Heberling, Michael A. Jenkins, Susan Kalisz, William J. McShea, Janet A. Morrison, Victoria Nuzzo, Christopher R. Webster, Donald M. Waller
Summary: Studies show that white-tailed deer have more frequent and consistently negative effects in eastern North American forests compared to invasive plants. Deer impacts are cumulative, especially hitting preferred plant species hard, while invasive plant effects are more localized and reversible.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Amanda N. Van Buskirk, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Bret D. Wallingford, Emily Just Domoto, Marc E. McDill, Patrick J. Drohan, Duane R. Diefenbach
Summary: Localized management of white-tailed deer involves the removal of matriarchal family units to reduce deer density, but success can be influenced by factors such as surrounding deer density and dispersal behavior. A spatially explicit, agent-based model was developed to study the intensity of deer removal needed for local density reduction, with results indicating that size of removal area, surrounding deer density, and antlerless harvest rate are critical factors in achieving success in reducing deer density.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2021)