The Science of Overabundance Deer Ecology and Population Management

by Mcshea, William J.; Underwood, Brian H.; Rappole, John H.

• ISBN13: 9781588340627
• ISBN10: 1588340627
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-17
• Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press

Summary

Easily the most common of Americas large wildlife species, white-tailed deer are often referred to as overabundant. But when does a species cross the threshold from common to overpopulated? William McShea and his colleagues explore every aspect of the issue in The Science of Overabundance, dismissing widely held lore and provide solid information on this perplexing problem.

Author Biography

William J. McShea and John H. Rappole are conservation biologists with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute within the Smithsonian's National Zoo. H. Brian Underwood is director of park studies for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction Deer Management and the Concept of Overabundance	1	(10)
William J. Mcshea
H. Brian Underwood
John H. Rappole
PART ONE: Philosophical Perspectives on Managing Deer
Recounting Whitetails Past	11	(16)
Thomas R. Mccabe
Richard E. Mccabe
Historical Changes in the Abundance and Distribution of Deer in Virginia	27	(10)
W. Matt Knox
The Science of Deer Management: An Animal Welfare Perspective	37	(18)
Allen T. Rutberg
The Challenge of Conserving Large Mammals, with an Emphasis on Deer	55	(14)
Chris Wemmer
PART TWO: Population Effects of High-Density Deer Herds
Irruptive Behavior in Ungulates	69	(30)
Dale R. Mccullough
Genetic Variation as a Predictor of Social Structure: Genetic Approaches for Studying Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer	99	(21)
Nancy E. Mathews
J. Andrew Dewoody
William F. Porter
Loren C. Skow
Rodney L. Honeycutt
Density Dependence in Deer Populations	120	(16)
Gary C. White
Richard M. Bartmann
Density Effects on Deer Sociobiology	136	(15)
Karl V. Miller
John J. Ozoga
Profiles of Deer under Different Management and Habitat Conditions in Pennsylvania	151	(13)
William L. Palmer
Gerald L. Storm
Randall Quinn
Walter M. Tzilkowski
Matthew J. Lovallo
Health Characteristics and White-Tailed Deer Population Density in the Southeastern United States	164	(21)
William R. Davidson
Gary L. Doster
Reconsidering Paradigms of Overpopulation in Ungulates: White-Tailed Deer at Saratoga National Historical Park	185	(16)
H. Brian Underwood
William F. Porter
PART THREE: Ecosystems and High-Density Deer Herds
Rethinking the Role of Deer in Forest Ecosystem Dynamics	201	(23)
Oswald J. Schmitz
A. R. E. Sinclair
Vertebrate Abundance and the Epidemiology of Zoonotic Diseases	224	(25)
Mark L. Wilson
James E. Childs
Influence of Deer on the Structure and Composition of Oak Forests in Central Massachusetts	249	(18)
William M. Healy
Deer and Ecosystem Management	267	(13)
David S. Decalesta
Deer Populations and the Widespread Failure of Hemlock Regeneration in Northern Forests	280	(18)
William S. Alverson
Donald M. Waller
Herbivores and the Ecology of Forest Understory Birds	298	(12)
William J. Mcshea
John H. Rappole
Influence of Deer and Other Factors on an Old-Field Plant Community: An Eight-Year Exclosure Study	310	(17)
Michael A. Bowers
Role of Refuges in the Dynamics of Outlying Deer Populations: Two Examples from the Agricultural Midwest	327	(19)
Lonnie P. Hansen
Charles M. Nixon
Jeff Beringer
Bottomland Forest Composition and Seedling Diversity: Simulating Succession and Browsing by Overabundant Deer	346	(20)
Steve W. Seagle
Suh-Yuen Liang
A Spatially Explicit Modeling Environment for Evaluating Deer Management Strategies	366	(14)
Ken L. Risenhoover
H. Brian Underwood
Wen Yan
Jerry L. Cooke
Epilogue Carrying Capacity and the Overabundance of Deer: A Framework for Management	380	(15)
A. R. E. Sinclair
Index	395