PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 99: Late-Breaking Newsworthy Presentations.
Presiding: E Preisser and G Larocque
Friday, August 8. 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM, SITCC Meeting Room 205.

Landscape effects on dispersal of juvenile male white-tailed deer.

Long, Eric^*,1, Diefenbach, Duane¹, Wallingford, Bret², Rosenberry, Chris², ¹ PA Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University Park, PA² PA Game Commission, Harrisburg, PA

ABSTRACT- White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are habitat generalists and range from extensively agricultural landscapes to densely forested regions. To examine potential influences of landscape on dispersal patterns of juvenile bucks, in 2002 we radio-tagged juvenile (6 - 10 month) male white-tailed deer (n = 127) in two physiographically distinct counties of Pennsylvania. Habitat in Armstrong County, located in the Appalachian Plateau region of Pennsylvania, is fragmented, with extensive agriculture and isolated woodlots. Habitat in Centre County, located in the Ridge and Valley province, is less fragmented, with long, parallel wooded ridges and agricultural valleys. Dispersal was synchronized in both counties such that yearling bucks dispersed primarily during spring (May - June, n = 32) and fall (October - November, n = 14). Few dispersal events occurred during summer (July - September, n = 2) or winter (December - April, n = 1). Median dispersal distance of yearling bucks in Armstrong County (10.0 km) was greater than in Centre County (5.8 km; U = 127.5, df = 46, P = 0.01), and dispersal rate was greater in Armstrong County (0.71) than Centre County (0.44; ² = 6.89, df = 1, P < 0.01). Comparison of these two populations with other populations of white-tailed deer in different landscapes suggests that dispersal rate and timing may be socially effected but are not related to landscape features. However, average dispersal distance of juvenile bucks within a population is inversely related to percent forest cover (r² = 0.97, n = 10, P < 0.001). Sociobiological behavior of habitat generalists may be influenced by landscape-level factors, and for some parameters, variation among populations can be explained using simple, commonly reported landscape metrics.

Key words: landscape, dispersal, Odocoileus virginianus, deer