Mule deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) detect coyote (<i>Canis latrans</i>) scent
Abstract
A trophic cascade is an ecological process in which predators affect the producer biomass and community composition of an ecosystem by limiting plant consumption by herbivores. Predators not only control herbivore populations through predation, but their mere presence can affect herbivore behavior. I investigated whether mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) reduce foraging in the presence of signals that indicate a predator. I set up feed blocks at two predetermined sites. Once the deer were consistently eating the food, I started the treatment period. During this period, I would place one of two treatments at the site: one containing coyote urine (experimental) or one containing water (control). I quantified behavior whenever a deer was within 10 meters of the feed block. To avoid pseudoreplication, only the first set of behavior observations (focal) from each individual deer was analyzed. I found that there is a significant overall change in deer foraging behavior and time spent in the study area when they are exposed to coyote scent. When examined on the basis of time bins within the focal, there is a significant decrease in time allocated to foraging after the first minute when the deer were exposed to the coyote treatment, but this difference disappears over time. I believe that this disappearance is due to the deer habituating to the coyote scent. Concerning trophic cascades, these results lead me to believe that perhaps the strength of the change in behavior depends on the species of predator. Other studies have found that the type of predator determines how strongly the deer will react. When these results are related to wildlife management, I see that coyote scent is an effective repellent in small doses, but other repellents become essential if one wants to deter deer over a long period of time.
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