Rainfall, El Nino, and Dynamics of Mule Deer in the Sonoran Desert, California

Autor: Jason P. Marshal, Paul R. Krausman, Vernon C. Bleich, Jane S. Mckeever, Warren B. Ballard
Rok vydání: 2002
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Journal of Wildlife Management. 66:1283
ISSN: 0022-541X
DOI: 10.2307/3802961
Popis: We used long-term El Nino southern oscillation (ENSO), rainfall, and deer harvest records to investigate effects of ENSO and rainfall on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population trends in the Sonoran Desert, southeastern California, USA. We found significant relationships between the southern oscillation index and rainfall (R 2 = 0.38, P≤0.001), and between rainfall and annual deer harvest (R 2 = 0.25, P ≤ 0.001). We also found that deer harvest (i.e., an index of deer abundance) in any year was related to accumulations of rainfall >5 years before that hunting season (R 2 = 0.34), whereas the change in harvest between years (i.e., an index of rate of population change) was most related to rainfall the year immediately prior to that hunting season (R 2 = 0.15). Fluctuations in deer populations in the deserts of California ultimately may be caused by ENSO events.
Databáze: OpenAIRE