Genetic Characteristics of Restored Elk Populations in Kentucky

Translocations are a common management practice to restore or augment populations. Understanding the genetic consequences of translocation efforts is important for the long-term health of restored populations. The restoration of elk (Cervus canadensis) to Kentucky, USA, included source stocks from 6 western states, which were released at 8 sites in southeastern Kentucky during 1997–2002. We assessed genetic diversity in restored herds and compared genetic similarity to source stocks based on 15 microsatellite DNA loci. Genetic variation in the restored populations was comparable to source stocks ( allelic richness = 3.52 and 3.50; expected heterozygosity = 0.665 and 0.661 for restored and source, respectively). Genetic differentiation among all source and restored populations ranged from 0.000 to 0.065 for pairwise F_ST and 0.034 to 0.161 for pairwise Nei's D_A. Pairwise genetic differentiation and Bayesian clustering revealed that stocks from Utah and North Dakota, USA, contributed most to restored populations. Other western stocks appeared less successful and were not detected with our data, though our sampling was not exhaustive. We also inferred natural movements of elk among release sites by the presence of multiple genetic stocks. The success of the elk restoration effort in Kentucky may be due, in part, to the large number of elk (n = 1,548), repeated releases, and use of diverse source stocks. Future restoration efforts for elk in the eastern United States should consider the use of multiple stock sources and a large number of individuals. In addition, preservation of genetic samples of founder stock will enable detailed monitoring in the future. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.     

Dynamics of Newly Established Elk Populations

Abstract: The dynamics of newly established elk (Cervus elaphus) populations can provide insights about maximum sustainable rates of reproduction, survival, and increase. However, data used to estimate rates of increase typically have been limited to counts and rarely have included complementary estimates of vital rates. Complexities of population dynamics cannot be understood without considering population processes as well as population states. We estimated pregnancy rates, survival rates, age ratios, and sex ratios for reintroduced elk at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, USA; combined vital rates in a population projection model; and compared model projections with observed elk numbers and population ratios. Pregnancy rates in January (early in the second trimester of pregnancy) averaged 54.1% (SE = 5.4%) for subadults and 91.0% (SE = 1.7%) for adults, and 91.6% of pregnancies resulted in recruitment at 8 months. Annual survival rates of adult females averaged 0.96 (95% CI = 0.94-0.98) with hunting included and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.97-0.99) with hunting excluded from calculations. Our fitted model explained 99.8% of past variation in population estimates and represents a useful new tool for short-term management planning. Although we found no evidence of temporal variation in vital rates, variation in population composition caused substantial variation in projected rates of increase (Λ = 1.20-1.36). Restoring documented hunter harvests and removals of elk by the National Park Service led to a potential rate of Λ = 1.26. Greater rates of increase substantiated elsewhere were within the expected range of chance variation, given our model and estimates of vital rates. Rates of increase realized by small elk populations are too variable to support inferences about habitat quality or density dependence.     

内蒙古大兴安岭南麓东北马鹿种群现状调查北大核心CSCD

我国东北地区的马鹿(Cervus elaphus)在内蒙古大兴安岭南麓的生态系统中占有重要位置,栖息地环境恶化以及人类活动干扰等因素严重影响了马鹿种群的生存状态。本文于2019至2020年采用样线法和粪堆计数法对内蒙古大兴安岭南麓野生马鹿种群恢复现状开展调查,估算其种群密度及数量。结果显示,与10年前相比,黄岗梁、白音敖包、大冷山、赛罕乌拉、乌兰坝和高格斯台的马鹿种群密度均有显著增长(P<0.05),研究区域现有马鹿总数量约为(9644.2±1378.6)头,种群密度(2.5±0.9)头/km^(2)。本次调查从种群密度、数量及增长率等方面探讨了进一步促进马鹿种群恢复的措施,为改进大兴安岭南麓马鹿保护工作提供科学指导。     

Short- and Long-term Changes in Elk Use and Forage Production in Sagebrush Communities Following Prescribed Burning

Burning shrub and grassland communities often leads to increases in plant production and nutritional quality that benefit herbivores, resulting in increased herbivore use of burned areas. Increased use has been ascribed more specifically to changes in plant community structure, community composition and diversity, nutritional quality, and seasonal availability. These hypotheses can be evaluated more precisely if changes in plant communities following burning are monitored concurrently with changes in herbivore use, especially in longer-term studies. From 1988 to 1999, we examined responses of elk (Cervus elaphus) following prescribed burning of areas burned in 1984 and 1988 that had been formerly dominated by mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) in south-central Montana (USA), with concurrent monitoring of changes in plant production, nutritional quality, and community composition. Elk made increased use of burned sites up to 15 years after burning. Burning transformed big sagebrush-dominated communities into native herbaceous communities that persisted for 15 years without sagebrush reinvasion. Forage biomass and protein content remained higher on burned sites for 15 years, although differences were not significant in every year and declined as time elapsed after burning. Forage production, forage protein, and elk use were temporally correlated, suggesting the possibility that grazing by elk might have contributed to persistence of elevated plant production and protein levels on burned sites.     

Validation of elk resource selection models with spatially independent data

Knowledge of how landscape features affect wildlife resource use is essential for informed management. Resource selection functions often are used to make and validate predictions about landscape use; however, resource selection functions are rarely validated with data from landscapes independent of those from which the models were built. This problem has severely limited the application of resource selection functions over larger geographic areas for widely distributed species. North American elk (Cervus elaphus) is an example of a widely-distributed species of keen interest to managers and for which validation of resource selection functions over large geographic areas is important. We evaluated the performance of resource selection functions developed for elk on one landscape in northeast Oregon with independent data from a different landscape in the same region. We compared predicted versus observed elk resource use for 9 monthly or seasonal periods across 3 yr. Results showed strong, positive agreement between predicted and observed use for 2 spring and 3 late summer-early fall models (3-yr r = 0.81–0.95). Predicted versus observed use was negatively or weakly positively correlated for 3 summer models and 1 mid-fall model (3-yr r = −0.57–0.14). Predicted and observed use correlated well when forage was limited (spring and late summer or early fall), corresponding to important biological stages for elk (parturition and breeding seasons). For these seasonal periods, model covariates such as rate of motorized traffic and canopy closure often were effective predictors of elk resource selection. The models we validated for spring and late summer-early fall may be used to evaluate management activities in areas with similar landscape characteristics. © 2010 The Wildlife Society.     

Implications of chronic wasting disease,cougar predation,and reduced recruitment for elk management

Emerging diseases and expanding carnivore populations may have profound implications for ungulate harvest management and population regulation. To better understand effects of chronic wasting disease (CWD) and cougar (Puma concolor) predation, we studied mortality and recruitment of elk (Cervus elaphus) at Wind Cave National Park (WICA) during 2005–2009. We marked 202 elk (83 subadult M and 119 subadult and ad F) with Global Positioning System (GPS) collars, observed 28 deaths during 74,220 days of monitoring, and investigated 42 additional deaths of unmarked elk found dead. Survival rates were similar for males and females and averaged 0.863 (SE = 0.025) annually. Leading causes of mortality included hunting (0.065, SE = 0.019), CWD (0.034, SE = 0.012), and cougar predation (0.029, SE = 0.012). Marked elk killed by hunters and cougars typically were in good physical condition and not infected with CWD. Effects of mortality on population growth were exacerbated by low rates of pregnancy (subadults = 9.5%, SE = 6.6%; ad = 76.9%, SE = 4.2%) and perinatal survival (0.49, SE = 0.085 from 1 Feb to 1 Sep). Chronic wasting disease, increased predation, and reduced recruitment reduced the rate of increase for elk at WICA to approximately λ = 1.00 (SE = 0.027) during the past decade. Lower rates of increase are mitigating effects of elk on park vegetation, other wildlife, and neighboring lands and will facilitate population control, but may reduce opportunities for elk hunting outside the park. © 2011 The Wildlife Society     

四川梅花鹿内脏系统初步解剖

对一只成年雌性四川梅花鹿内脏系统作了初步的观察和研究,其气管长440 mm;食道呈漏斗状,具伸缩性,粗细不等;胃属于反刍胃,包括瘤胃、网胃、瓣胃、皱胃,容积分别占全部胃室的80%、6%、6.5%、7.5%;肠道全长是体长的12.79倍,小肠较发达,全长11 661.36 mm,占肠道总长的58.8%,具有较发达的盲肠;卵巢较小,子宫属于双角子宫.