Ecology and Management of Blacktailed and Mule Deer of North America

Description

Black-tailed and mule deer represent one of the largest distributions of mammals in North America and are symbols of the wide-open American West. Each chapter in this book was authored by the world’s leading experts on that topic. Both editors, James R. Heffelfinger and Paul R. Krausman, are widely published in the popular and scientific press and recipients of the O. C. Wallmo Award, given every two years to a leading black-tailed and mule deer expert who has made significant contributions to the conservation of this species. In addition, Heffelfinger has chaired the Mule Deer Working Group sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for more than 15 years. This working group consists of the leading black-tailed and mule deer experts from each of 24 states, provinces, and territories in western North America, putting them at the forefront of all conservation and much of the research on this species. The book represents all current knowledge available on these deer, including how changing conditions such as fires, habitat alteration and loss, disease, climate change, socio-economic forces, energy development, and other aspects are influencing their distribution and abundance now and into the future. It takes a completely fresh look at all chapter topics. The revisions of distribution, taxonomy, evolution, behavior, and new and exciting work being done in deer nutrition, migration and movements, diseases, predation, and human dimensions are all assembled in this volume. This book will instantly become the foundation for the latest information and management strategies to be implemented on the ground by practitioners and to inform the public. Although this book is about deer, the topics discussed influence most terrestrial wildlife worldwide, and the basic concepts in many of the chapters are applicable to other species. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Editors List of Contributors Section I Biology and Ecology Chapter 1 Origin, Classification, and Distribution Chapter 2 Historical Trends in Black-tailed Deer, Mule Deer, and Their Habitats Chapter 3 Physical Characteristics Chapter 4 Digestive Physiology and Nutrition Chapter 5 Modeling Population Dynamics of Black-tailed and Mule Deer Chapter 6 Diseases and Parasites Chapter 7 Carnivore-Prey Relationships Chapter 8 Competition with Other Ungulates Section II Ecoregion Habitats and Population Dynamics Chapter 9 Northern Forest Ecoregion Chapter 10 Coastal Rainforest Ecoregion Chapter 11 Intermountain West Ecoregion Chapter 12 Great Plains Ecoregion Chapter 13 California Chaparral and Oak Woodlands Ecoregion Chapter 14 Southwest Deserts Ecoregion Chapter 15 Colorado Plateau Ecoregion Section III Population Management Chapter 16 Population Monitoring Chapter 17 Harvest Management Chapter 18 Human Dimensions Section IV Habitat Management Chapter 19 Conflict Management Chapter 20 Threats to Habitat Function Chapter 21 Habitat Improvement and Water Supplementation Chapter 22 Migration Section V The Future Chapter 23 Challenges and Opportunities for the Future Conservation of Black-tailed and Mule Deer Bibliography Index