Migrating mule deer compensate en route for phenological mismatches.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ortega AC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10086060 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Migrating mule deer compensate en route for phenological mismatches.
Ortega Anna C AC Aikens Ellen O EO Merkle Jerod A JA Monteith Kevin L KL Kauffman Matthew J MJ
Nature communications 20230410 1
Billions of animals migrate to track seasonal pulses in resources. Optimally timing migration is a key strategy, yet the ability of animals to compensate for phenological mismatches en route is largely unknown. Using GPS movement data collected from 72 adult female deer over a 10-year duration, we study a population of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in Wyoming that lack reliable cues on their desert winter range, causing them to start migration 70 days ahead to 52 days behind the wave of spring ...[more]
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