Austin Killam
Texas A&M University- Kingsville
M.S. Range and Wildlife Management, Range and Wildlife Sciences
Effects of water salinity on the consumption of supplemental feed and free choice of water by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Surface water in the southwestern United States is often limited due to frequent droughts. Wildlife in this environment are forced to rely on pumped ground water or rapidly-evaporating pools of poor-quality water that may contain high salinity levels and dissolved solids. I hypothesized that water quality will affect the nutritional plane of white-tailed deer by influencing the quantity of supplemental feed consumed. In this study, I will focus on salinity, the main cause of poor-quality water in South Texas. During spring, summer, and fall, when nutritional needs are elevated for both sexes, it is important for individuals to consume adequate amounts of forage and supplemental feed. I will provide water ad libitum at varying salinity levels to determine the threshold of salinity at which white-tailed deer will drink and observe how salinity effects their daily intake of supplemental feed. In the second study, we will compare low-salinity and high-salinity water sources to determine the effects of salinity on water use by free-roaming deer. The goal of this research is to improve the management of water resources for white-tailed deer, and how it might affect their nutritional plane, a poorly-understood relationship for the species.