Premium
Dental microwear and diet of white‐tailed deer through its North and Central American Range
Author(s) -
Dewar Eric Walter,
Hernandez Susan M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.518.4
Subject(s) - odocoileus , habitat , range (aeronautics) , generalist and specialist species , niche , ecology , white (mutation) , geography , biology , home range , biochemistry , materials science , gene , composite material
We investigated the dietary ecology of the white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus using enamel microwear with a stereomicroscope at low magnification (35×). These 96 adult white‐tailed deer were museum specimens that were collected throughout North and Central America; we divided them into five biogeographic regions to determine any differences in diets through their sampled range. Our observations indicated a soft browsing diet for this wide‐ranging generalist species that was quite consistent throughout its range, but with noticeable regional variations. It is possible that this diet is a result of its modern commensality with humans and having a preference for habitat‐edge environments. We found that its diet in Massachusetts and New York reflected a habitat that is more open than the northern New England individuals. We found the most noticeable differences between the extreme northern and southern ends of its Northern American range. Odocoileus virginianus by itself is not an ideal habitat indicator due to its generalized niche, but it does help to characterize a particular habitat‐edge niche common to many New World habitats.