Dietary response of sympatric deer to fire using stable isotope analysis of liver tissue

Walter, W. D.; Zimmerman, T. J.; Leslie, Jr. , D. M.; Jenks, J. A.

Abstract:

Carbon (??¹³C) and nitrogen (??¹⁵N) isotopes in biological samples from large herbivores identify photosynthetic pathways (C₃ vs. C₄) of plants they consumed and can elucidate potential nutritional characteristics of dietary selection. Because large herbivores consume a diversity of forage types, ??¹³C and ??¹⁵N in their tissue can index ingested and assimilated diets through time. We assessed ??¹³C and ??¹⁵N in metabolically active liver tissue of sympatric mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) to identify dietary disparity resulting from use of burned and unburned areas in a largely forested landscape. Interspecific variation in dietary disparity of deer was documented 2-3 years post-fire in response to lag-time effects of vegetative response to burning and seasonal (i.e., summer, winter) differences in forage type. Liver ??¹³C for mule deer were lower during winter and higher during summer 2 years post-fire on burned habitat compared to unburned habitat suggesting different forages were consumed by mule deer in response to fire. Liver ??¹⁵N for both species were higher on burned than unburned habitat during winter and summer suggesting deer consumed more nutritious forage on burned habitat during both seasons 2 and 3 years post-fire. Unlike traditional methods of dietary assessment that do not measure uptake of carbon and nitrogen from dietary components, analyses of stable isotopes in liver or similar tissue elucidated ??¹³C and ??¹⁵N assimilation from seasonal dietary components and resulting differences in the foraging ecology of sympatric species in response to fire.

Genre:

Article

ProdID:

70035575

Citation Author:

Walter, W. D.; Zimmerman, T. J.; Leslie, Jr. , D. M.; Jenks, J. A.

Citation Contributing Office:

Citation Datum:

Citation Day:

Citation Edition:

Citation Editor:

Citation End Page:

135

Citation Issue:

Citation Keywords:

Citation Language:

English

Citation Larger Work Title:

Wildlife Biology in Practice

Citation LatN:

Citation LatS:

Citation LonE:

Citation LonW:

Citation Month:

Citation No Pagination:

Citation Number Of Pages:

Citation Online Only Flag:

Citation Phsyical Description:

Citation Projection:

Citation Public Comments:

Citation Publisher:

Citation Series:

Citation Series Code:

Citation Series Number:

Citation Search Results Text:

Dietary response of sympatric deer to fire using stable isotope analysis of liver tissue; 2009; Article; Journal; Wildlife Biology in Practice; Walter, W. D.; Zimmerman, T. J.; Leslie, Jr. , D. M.; Jenks, J. A.