Abstract
We investigated the effect of red imported fire ants (RIFA: Solenopsis invicta) on an index of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn recruitment (doe:fawn ratio on 10 200-ha plots in the Texas Coastal Prairie during 1991-93. Five of the plots received treatments of the fire ant bait AMDRO (Am. Cyanamid Co., Wayne, N.J.) during April and October 1991 and May 1992 to reduce RIFA populations. The remaining 5 plots served as untreated comparison areas. Populations of RIFA were reduced (P < 0.10) on treated study areas during deer fawning periods in 1991-92. Fawn recruitment was higher on treated areas during 1991 (P = 0.037) and 1992 (P = 0.069), with recruitment about twice as high on treated areas. In 1993, after 1 year of RIFA reinfestation, fawn recruitment did not differ between treated and untreated plots (P = 0.443). We conclude that high density RIFA infestations reduced white-tailed deer fawn recruitment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 911-916 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Wildlife Management |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Exotic insect
- Exotic species
- Fawn recruitment
- Invasive species
- Odocoileus virginianus
- RIFA
- Red imported fire ants
- Solenopsis invicta
- Texas Coastal Prairie
- White-tailed deer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Ecology
- Nature and Landscape Conservation