Year of Award
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Name
Fish and Wildlife Biology
Department or School/College
Wildlife Biology Program
Committee Chair
Chad Bishop
Commitee Members
Mark Hebblewhite, Mark Hurley, Sarah Halverson, Paul Lukacs, Angela Luis
Keywords
Population Dynamics, Predator Diet, Predator-Prey Dynamics, White-tailed deer
Abstract
My dissertation was motivated by a fundamental management question. If a manager wants to increase the population of species A, how will it affect ungulate species B and C, and predator species D and E, and which populations can be managed to support species A’s success? This question is pertinent for both predators and prey, and in northern Idaho, harvest is used to not only manage populations in an ecological sense but also as a service to the public in the form of hunting opportunities. Understanding these interactions will benefit managers in their decision-making process and ensure the long-term stability of these ecological communities.
In Chapter 1, we took a granular approach to understanding the basic ecology of the white-tailed deer population by analyzing white-tailed deer neonates in the context of a 6-predator system. Our objectives were to 1) estimate white-tailed deer neonate survival across northern Idaho, 2) determine the relative contribution of each mortality source, and 3) assess how neonate condition, maternal behavior, human development and predators influence neonate survival.
In Chapter 2, we analyzed white-tailed deer at the population level. We were interested in modeling the circumstances under which mortality rates are sufficiently high to affect population growth in northern Idaho. Our objectives were to build the first age-based population model of white-tailed deer in Idaho by 1) estimating age-specific survival, mortality, and fecundity, 2) measuring the relative sensitivity of the population growth rate to changes in vital rates, and 3) modeling population-level reactions to changes in cause-specific mortality to evaluate the importance of harvest and predator-specific mortalities.
Finally, in Chapter 3 we placed white-tailed deer in the context of multiple ungulate species and estimated the use of ungulates by different prey species. We wanted to know how cause-specific mortality differs among ungulate species and what factors contribute to different predation rates. We also wanted to know how diet composition varies within the predator community, and whether it reflected the predation rates of ungulates. Our objectives were to 1) understand how ungulate predation rates vary according to predator and prey activity; 2) estimate cause-specific mortality of adult and juvenile white-tailed deer, elk, and moose and identify key covariates; 3) build mortality models to understand the seasonal variation in mortality risk and its drivers 4) evaluate the frequency, seasonal variation, and percent contribution of prey to the diet of black bear, mountain lion, wolf, coyote, and bobcat; and 5) compare predator diet composition with ungulate cause-specific mortality rates to characterize predator use of prey.
Recommended Citation
Painter-Flores, Elizabeth J., "POPULATION DYNAMICS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN A MULTI-PREDATOR, MULTI-PREY CONTEXT IN NORTHERN IDAHO" (2025). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12551.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12551
© Copyright 2025 Elizabeth J. Painter-Flores