Space Use and Survival of White-Tailed Deer in a Disturbance-Driven System Containing a Restored Apex Predator

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dc.contributor.authorEllsworth, William Hunteren
dc.contributor.committeechairCherry, Michael J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberChandler, Richard B.en
dc.contributor.committeememberFord, W. Marken
dc.contributor.committeememberConner, Mikeen
dc.contributor.departmentFish and Wildlife Conservationen
dc.date.accessioned2022-02-05T07:00:08Zen
dc.date.available2022-02-05T07:00:08Zen
dc.date.issued2020-08-13en
dc.description.abstractWhite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Big Cypress Basin of South Florida must cope with top-down and bottom-up forces, including frequent pyrogenic and hydrological disturbances and the threat of predation. These forces affect their space use, behavior, and survival. Recent changes to the regional hydrology and increased abundances the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), their primary predator in this system, call for a renewed look at how these forces affect this deer herd. To assess the effects of these forces on seasonal space use, behavior, and survival of deer, I analyzed GPS telemetry and camera trap data, highlighting the factors influencing deer space use across hydrological and biological seasons, and connected behavioral data captured on camera traps to female deer survival. Space use is primarily a function of intrinsic sex affects and landscape composition and configuration, and varies as resources and reproductive cycles fluctuate across seasons. Disturbance has little effect on space use, suggesting deer are well adapted to these disturbance regimes. Temperament in foraging behavior in female deer impacted survival, influencing prey catchability and potentially buffering prey populations against cycles of predation.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralWhite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Big Cypress Basin of South Florida must cope with a changing landscape of resources caused by frequent fire and flooding, while avoiding predation by their primary predator in this system, the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Recent changes to water flow across this landscape and increasing numbers of Florida panthers call for a renewed look at how disturbance, landscape features, and predation influence the seasonal space use, behavior, and survival of deer in this system. Differences from sex and landscape features most explain seasonal space use of deer, while the influence of fire and flooding is limited. Variability in vigilance of female deer led to differences in female survival, suggesting a tradeoff between acquiring resource and safety when foraging under predation risk.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:24099en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/108140en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectBehavioren
dc.subjectPantheren
dc.subjectSpace useen
dc.subjectSurvivalen
dc.subjectWhite-tailed deeren
dc.titleSpace Use and Survival of White-Tailed Deer in a Disturbance-Driven System Containing a Restored Apex Predatoren
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineFisheries and Wildlife Scienceen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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