Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of Columbian black-tailed deer population dynamics

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dc.contributor.authorGiguère, Isabel
dc.contributor.supervisorFisher, Jason Thomas
dc.date.accessioned2025-12-23T22:38:05Z
dc.date.available2025-12-23T22:38:05Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.degree.departmentSchool of Environmental Studies
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science MSc
dc.description.abstractAnthropogenic landscapes fragment and reshape habitat for terrestrial mammals, favoring some species over others, triggering population shifts with cascading ecological impacts. In North America, Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus; BTD) contribute to biodiversity loss, seen with both abundant urban and declining wild populations. Effective wildlife management is limited by poor understanding of how extrinsic forces influence intrinsic drivers, such as reproductive success - the key determinant of population persistence in deer. To address this gap, we studied two populations of immunocontracepted (IC) BTD on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to assess how dispersal barriers and habitat quality influence the spatiotemporal dynamics of reproductive success. Using multi-year camera-trap data, we compared reproductive trends across two systems differing in permeability - one constrained by dispersal barriers and one permeable to immigration. We further examined how forage quality and cover shaped habitat selection by mothers (does with fawns) and non-mothers (does without fawns). The permeable system exhibited source-sink dynamics, where immigration drove increases in reproductive output; mothers selected energetically optimal features with nutrient-rich forage and cover, while non-mothers selected nutrient-poor, exposed and risky features. These results demonstrate how extrinsic landscape features can shape intrinsic processes like reproduction, generating temporal variation in IC effectiveness and spatial segregation among demographic groups. Integrating empirical insights from applied management with ecological theory can inform coexistence strategies for large mammals in increasingly human-dominated environments.
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduate
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/23017
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Web
dc.subjectPopulation dynamics
dc.subjectPopulation control
dc.subjectWildlife management
dc.subjectImmunocontraception
dc.subjectUrban deer
dc.subjectHabitat selection
dc.subjectReproduction
dc.subjectHuman-wildlife coexistance
dc.subjectUrban ecology
dc.subjectBlack-tailed deer
dc.subjectColumbian black-tailed deer
dc.subjectCamera trapping
dc.subjectGIS
dc.subjectVancouver Island
dc.subjectOdocoileus hemionus columbianus
dc.subjectBritish Columbia
dc.subjectImmigration
dc.subjectAnimal marking
dc.titleIntrinsic and extrinsic drivers of Columbian black-tailed deer population dynamics
dc.typeThesis

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