Estimating sex‐specific abundance in fawning areas of a high‐density Columbian black‐tailed deer population using fecal DNA

摘要: The recent development of fecal-genetic capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods has increased the feasibility estimating abundance forest-dwelling ungulates that are difficult to survey using visual methods. Unless genetic markers differentiating sex incorporated into such studies, however, CMR approaches risk missing sex-specific differences in population trends. We developed a single-reaction assay for and individual identification, including 10 microsatellites an SRY marker, applied it context post-fawning study Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) forested habitat coastal California during 2011 2012. measured ratios high-quality summer habitats encompassing 4 distinct fawning areas. detected significant interaction between year, indicating different trends males females. also decline females years (P = 0.045), which agreed with independent telemetry-based estimates, female among areas (P = 0.020) but no either variable (F1–3,20  0.410). When was not considered analysis, we found 2 years, suggesting differing sexes obscured female-specific patterns. estimated average local (i.e., on ranges) density () at 41.0 (± 5.9) deer/km2 29.1 (± 6.8) deer/km2 2012, 15.7 (± 3.0) deer/km2 across years. Accordingly, differed (95% CI = 3.0–4.2 F:M ratio 2011, 2.0–2.3 2012). Incorporating single provided cost-effective means applying estimation based fecal DNA high-density ungulate ecosystem emphasized importance explicitly modeling estimation. © 2014 Wildlife Society.