Abstract

VASQUEZ, Yasmit et al. Variation in the diet composition of the white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve. Rev. Chapingo ser. cienc. for. ambient [online]. 2016, vol.22, n.1, pp.87-98. ISSN 2007-4018.  https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchscfa.2015.04.012.

The objective of this study was to determine the variation in the botanical composition of the diet of white tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (RBTC) in Mexico. The species consumed were identified through the microhistological analysis of the epidermis in fresh excreta. The sampling was done in the humid and dry seasons of 2011 to 2013 in San Gabriel Casa Blanca dominated by the tropical dry forest (TDF) and crasicaule shrubland, and in San Pedro Chicozapotes dominated by TDF; both locations in the state of Oaxaca. The annual diet consisted of 83 species from 36 families; 13 species represented more than 50 % of the diet. The tender leaves and stems of tree and herbal species were the most frequently consumed. The composition of the diet did not differ (P > 0.05) between yearly seasons, but they did differ between study locations. The plant compositions consumed by the deer was similar to what was reported in other TDF. The results of this study help us understand the ecological strategies of foraging of the herbivores in the TDF, and could have certain relevance in the management units for wildlife conservation (UMAs) in the RBTC and in neighboring areas

Keywords : Microhistology of feces; seasonal diet; tropical dry forest; crasicaule shrubland.