Resource partitioning and competition among cervids in the northern Rocky Mountains
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Authors: K. J. Jenkins, and R. G. Wright
Date: 1988
Journal: Journal of Applied Ecology
Volume: 25
Number: 1
Pages: 11-24
Summary of Methods: Resource partitioning patterns for elk, moose and white-tailed deer in Glacier National Park, Montana, were documented during a mild and a harsh winter. Also, the effects of winter on interspecific competition and its role on niche relationships were investigated. Spatial distribution and habitat selection were observed from January to May for two years. Vegetation characteristics were collected in the summers previous to each winter. Snow depths to quantify severity of winter and fecal samples to determine forage preferences were collected.
Article Summary / Main Points: Spatially, elk were the most evenly distributed among the three segments but numbers did decline the farther north (increased elevation) the surveys moved. Regardless of severity of the winter, white-tailed deer preferred mature forest communities (except those dominated by lodgepole pine and deciduous trees), elk had a preference for lodgepole pine savannah, while moose preferred hydric shrubs and lowland spruce communities. Conifers and deciduous shrubs dominated the diets of all three species. Elk and white-tailed deer consumed more low evergreen shrubs as snow depth increased. During the mild winter, elk foraged on more grasses while moose consumed deciduous browse. Over the course of the harsh winter moose switched to more coniferous browse, elk consumed less grass and white-tailed deer diets did not change.
Vegetation Types: Grazed Forest Ponderosa Pine Woodlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 43B Central Rocky Mountains
Agrovoc Control Words: Ungulates Rangelands Competition
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: habitat overlap, white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, elk, cervus elaphus, moose, alces alces, community type, vegetation preferences
Annotation: This replicated study was conducted over two years and the associated findings are applicable to northern Rocky Mountain rangelands. As is true for all grazing research, the results are most directly applicable to areas with similar landscapes, type of ungulates, weather conditions and season of use. It would have been useful if the authors had tabulated their snow depths to indicate at what snow depth does spatial and habitat selection change, instead of using the general categories of mild or harsh winter. Jenkins and Wright (1987, Can. J. Zoology 65:1397-1401) also studied dietary niche relationships between cervids during winter months in Glacier National Park, also summarized in the RSIS website. Together these articles describe resource selection and competition among ungulates sharing winter rangeland.
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