BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
23 May 2024 Chronic wasting disease effects on a breeding season behavior in White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Miranda H.J. Huang, Steve Demarais, Bronson K. Strickland, Allan Houston, Alejandro Banda, Kurt C. VerCauteren
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Wildlife disease outbreaks can lead to population declines, which are usually attributed to increased direct or indirect mortality. Alternatively, behavior associated with sickness can lead to social isolation, potentially decreasing fitness of affected individuals. A useful case study to examine this dynamic is chronic wasting disease (CWD), a neurological disease of cervids, known to affect behavior and movement. In this study, we monitored scraping, a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus; WTD) breeding season behavior, in an area of high CWD prevalence to determine if this reproductive behavior is affected by CWD. At 107 scrape sites, we detected 3,063 scrape interactions and 218 unique bucks. Bucks engaged with scrapes most often, performing 73% of interactions—compared to 23% by does, and 4% by fawns. Twenty-one bucks captured on camera traps at scrape sites were harvested through recreational hunting, 13 testing CWD-positive and 8 CWD not-detected. We found no significant effect of CWD status on specific scraping behaviors. There may, however, have been population-level effects, with shifts toward greater proportions of scraping by yearling bucks and during daylight hours compared to findings from past studies.

Miranda H.J. Huang, Steve Demarais, Bronson K. Strickland, Allan Houston, Alejandro Banda, and Kurt C. VerCauteren "Chronic wasting disease effects on a breeding season behavior in White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)," Journal of Mammalogy 105(5), 1175-1181, (23 May 2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyae050
Received: 26 July 2023; Accepted: 18 April 2024; Published: 23 May 2024
KEYWORDS
behavior
breeding
chronic wasting disease
disease ecology
scraping
white-tailed deer
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top