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Breeding Behavior And Space Use Of Male And Female Mule Deer: An Examination Of Potential Risk Differences For Chronic Wasting Disease Infection, Leslie R. Mcfarlane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dynamics of pathogen and host relationships relative to disease transmission in wildlife populations are important ecological processes to understand, particularly since spatial dynamics of disease can be driven by movement, behavior, and dispersal of animals. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an example of this important interface, where little is known regarding origin of the disease or routes of transmission. Surveillance data for CWD in free-ranging mule deer indicates that breeding-age male deer have 2-4 times higher prevalence rates than females or younger age males. In an effort to understand differences that might increase risk for exposure to CWD infective …