Abstracts

Abstract: Antler size of harvested mature male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) varies by 25 inches across Mississippi. Biologists hypothesized habitat quality as the cause, but the potential for subspecies-linked genetic effects or founder effects from restocking had not been eliminated. We captured pregnant females from the Delta (highest soil quality, largest deer), Thin Loess (medium soil quality, medium-sized deer) and Lower Coastal Plain (LCP; lowest quality soil, smallest deer) soil regions. We fed a 20% crude protein diet ad libitum to eliminate nutritional differences found in source habitats. Deer bred with individuals from their respective regions and produced two generations of offspring. Full compensation of antler size occurred after two generations of improved nutrition as there were no longer regional differences (t ? 0.40, d.f. = 99, P ? 0.691). Body size increased throughout the second generation for all regions, when 3-year old bucks weighed 25 lbs more in the Delta, 17 lbs more in the Thin Loess, and 35 lbs more in the LCP, compared to wild deer. We conclude that regional variation in antler and body size displayed by wild deer is an epigenetic effect caused by differences in nutritional quality and not subspecies-linked genetics. Thus, phenotype of deer throughout Mississippi is largely attributed to nutrition and not genetics. Optimum diets must be available to pregnant mothers and remain available throughout the life of the fawn, and into the next generation. Managers must realize there is no "quick fix" to improving antler and body size of white-tailed deer.