Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Evaluating The Winter Diet Of A Reintroduced Herd Of Elk In The Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee, Using Next-Generation Sequencing Techniques, Dailee L. Metts

Masters Theses

A distinct subspecies of elk (Cervus canadensis), the North American elk (C. canadensis canadensis), once inhabited portions of the southeastern United States, including Tennessee, until their extirpation in the mid 1800s. From 2000 to 2008, 201 Manitoban elk were reintroduced on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area (NCWMA). A year-long food habits study using histological analysis of plant material from feces was completed for the NCWMA elk from 2003 to 2004 and has since aided managers in their landscape planning. Since then, more elk have been released onto the area, food plots have been established throughout …