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Inter-Seasonal Range Relationships Of Spanish Goats And Mule Deer In A Utah Oakbrush Community, Robert Alexander Riggs
Inter-Seasonal Range Relationships Of Spanish Goats And Mule Deer In A Utah Oakbrush Community, Robert Alexander Riggs
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Three experiments were conducted to assess the potential for using Spanish goats to manage Gambel oakbrush winter range, dominated by Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Summer-time food selection of goats, effects on plant community composition, and consequent effects on mule deer nutrition and foraging behavior were examined.
An apparent preference for juvenile oak browse, and low use of oak twigs was observed. Selection for juvenile browse may have been facilitated by the retarded phenology of oak as compared to that of associated flora. This differential was maintained by repeated browsing. Animal performance, …