Factors influencing diet selection by white-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus, Missouri, game animal]

Variables characterizing the use and nutritive value of 34 spring and summer foods of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Missouri Ozarks were subjected to principal component analysis. Four factors, explaining 73.5% of the variation in the data, were extracted. Because the chemical an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 1982-01, Vol.46 (3), p.711-718
Main Authors: Vangilder, Larry D., Torgerson, Oliver, Porath, Wayne R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Calcium
Deer
Diet
Digestion
Food
Forage
Forbs
Lignin
Odocoileus virginianus
Rumen fermentation
Summer
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Variables characterizing the use and nutritive value of 34 spring and summer foods of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Missouri Ozarks were subjected to principal component analysis. Four factors, explaining 73.5% of the variation in the data, were extracted. Because the chemical and structural composition of spring and summer foods varied widely, selection of different forage types (forbs, fruits of woody species, leaves of woody species, grasses, and grain) satisfied different nutritional needs. Forbs and grasses had high digestibility and contained high levels of protein, phosphorus, and potassium. Leaves of woody species, although poorly digested, provided significant amounts of rapidly fermented cell solubles, had a high calcium content, and probably were rapidly passed through the digestive system. Fruits of woody species were high in energy. Habitat in nonagricultural areas of the midwest should be managed to stimulate the production of each forage type if deer carrying capacity is to be increased.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3808563