Willis Sontheimer
Texas State University
M.Sc. Student in Wildlife Ecology
Antler Allometry in White-Tailed Deer
Willis grew up in Norman, Oklahoma and obtained a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Oklahoma. He is in his first year as a M.Sc. student in the Wildlife Ecology program at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
Willis’ thesis will explore the allometric relationship between body size and antler development in white-tailed deer. His work will examine the following questions: Is antler development within a species similar to what has been reported across species? Are relationships between development of body and antler sizes consistent across individuals or do they vary among individuals. Do relationships between body mass and antler mass differ with the energy content of the diet? The results from this research will be useful to deer managers to determine how nutritional conditions affect antler size of mature males.
