A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park.
In the Adirondack Park region of northern New York, USA, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces) co-occur along a temperate-boreal forest ecotone. In this region, moose exist as a small and vulnerable low-density population and over-browsing by white-tailed deer is known t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273707 |
| _version_ | 1798033041379033088 |
|---|---|
| author | Joseph W Hinton Jeremy E Hurst David W Kramer James H Stickles Jacqueline L Frair |
| author_facet | Joseph W Hinton Jeremy E Hurst David W Kramer James H Stickles Jacqueline L Frair |
| author_sort | Joseph W Hinton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the Adirondack Park region of northern New York, USA, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces) co-occur along a temperate-boreal forest ecotone. In this region, moose exist as a small and vulnerable low-density population and over-browsing by white-tailed deer is known to reduce regeneration, sustainability, and health of forests. Here, we assess the distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer at a broad spatial scale relevant for deer and moose management in northern New York. We used density surface modeling (DSM) under a conventional distance sampling framework, tied to a winter aerial survey, to create a spatially explicit estimate of white-tailed deer abundance and density across a vast, northern forest region. We estimated 16,352 white-tailed deer (95% CI 11,762-22,734) throughout the Adirondack Park with local density ranging between 0.00-5.73 deer/km2. Most of the Adirondack Park (91.2%) supported white-tailed deer densities of ≤2 individuals/km2. White-tailed deer density increased with increasing proximity to anthropogenic land cover such as timber cuts, roads, and agriculture and decreased in areas with increasing elevation and days with snow cover. We conclude that climate change will be more favorable for white-tailed deer than for moose because milder winters and increased growing seasons will likely have a pronounced influence on deer abundance and distribution across the Adirondack Park. Therefore, identifying specific environmental conditions facilitating the expansion of white-tailed deer into areas with low-density moose populations can assist managers in anticipating potential changes in ungulate distribution and abundance and to develop appropriate management actions to mitigate negative consequences such as disease spread and increased competition for limiting resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:23:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97bc8b00a5114eebb9d17f8cc6b8e7f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:23:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-97bc8b00a5114eebb9d17f8cc6b8e7f02022-12-22T04:04:43ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01178e027370710.1371/journal.pone.0273707A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park.Joseph W HintonJeremy E HurstDavid W KramerJames H SticklesJacqueline L FrairIn the Adirondack Park region of northern New York, USA, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces) co-occur along a temperate-boreal forest ecotone. In this region, moose exist as a small and vulnerable low-density population and over-browsing by white-tailed deer is known to reduce regeneration, sustainability, and health of forests. Here, we assess the distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer at a broad spatial scale relevant for deer and moose management in northern New York. We used density surface modeling (DSM) under a conventional distance sampling framework, tied to a winter aerial survey, to create a spatially explicit estimate of white-tailed deer abundance and density across a vast, northern forest region. We estimated 16,352 white-tailed deer (95% CI 11,762-22,734) throughout the Adirondack Park with local density ranging between 0.00-5.73 deer/km2. Most of the Adirondack Park (91.2%) supported white-tailed deer densities of ≤2 individuals/km2. White-tailed deer density increased with increasing proximity to anthropogenic land cover such as timber cuts, roads, and agriculture and decreased in areas with increasing elevation and days with snow cover. We conclude that climate change will be more favorable for white-tailed deer than for moose because milder winters and increased growing seasons will likely have a pronounced influence on deer abundance and distribution across the Adirondack Park. Therefore, identifying specific environmental conditions facilitating the expansion of white-tailed deer into areas with low-density moose populations can assist managers in anticipating potential changes in ungulate distribution and abundance and to develop appropriate management actions to mitigate negative consequences such as disease spread and increased competition for limiting resources.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273707 |
| spellingShingle | Joseph W Hinton Jeremy E Hurst David W Kramer James H Stickles Jacqueline L Frair A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park. PLoS ONE |
| title | A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park. |
| title_full | A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park. |
| title_fullStr | A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park. |
| title_full_unstemmed | A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park. |
| title_short | A model-based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white-tailed deer in the Adirondack Park. |
| title_sort | model based estimate of winter distribution and abundance of white tailed deer in the adirondack park |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273707 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT josephwhinton amodelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT jeremyehurst amodelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT davidwkramer amodelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT jameshstickles amodelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT jacquelinelfrair amodelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT josephwhinton modelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT jeremyehurst modelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT davidwkramer modelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT jameshstickles modelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark AT jacquelinelfrair modelbasedestimateofwinterdistributionandabundanceofwhitetaileddeerintheadirondackpark |