Relationships between deer and vegetation on Coronation Island, southeastern Alaska

Abstract

Relationships between Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) and their forage were assessed on Coronation Island in southeastern Alaska. I compared plant abundance, species richness, and deer body size with results from an earlier study by Klein (1965, Ecol. Monogr. 35:259-284). Wolves were introduced, flourished, and then died out between these studies. The deer population rebounded after the wolf-induced low. Deer were significantly larger and plants more abundant and speciose in my study. Forbs, graminoids, and shrubs predominated in summer deer feces, similar to other sites in southeastern Alaska, whereas conifers composed 73% of winter feces; a much greater percentage of conifers than in feces from other sites. Estimated metabolizable energy in all summer diets was sufficient for maintenance and reproduction. Winter diet on Coronation provided less than half the energy believed necessary for maintenance. Different intensities of use of vegetation by deer appear responsible for these differences.