Soil ingestion rates calculated from titanium concentrations in feces from mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) feeding in a grassland-shrub community in northcentral Colorado in g/day (mean +/- SD) were: spring, 29.6 +/- 20.1; summer, 7.7 +/- 10.2; fall, 8.8 +/- 6.5; and winter 18.3 +/- 10.8. Based on observations of feeding tame deer, intake in winter appeared to be primarily due to direct soil ingestion from pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) mounds, roads, and other areas of exposed soil. The greatest intake during spring was likely due to indirect consumption of soil adhering to ingested vegetation. Soils from locations where tame deer had consumed soil were analyzed for trace elements (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, P, K, Na, and Zn) and compared to areas where no soil intake was observed. No significant differences (alpha=0.05) in mean levels of these elements was detected between areas. Most likely, deer at Rocky Flats were not selecting soils based strictly on mineral content, but instead were consuming soil indiscriminately. Ingested soil may provide a source of trace elements as well as a mode of entry for environmental pollutants. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.