Feed balance of the habitat of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a protected natural area in Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

The habitat carrying capacity (K) for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río “Flor del Bosque” State Park (FBSP), a Protected Natural Area (PNA) in the state of  Puebla, Mexico, was evaluated. This PNA has three vegetation types: oak forest, mixed forest, and scrub-grassland. Phytomass samples were taken in 500-meter-long transects at two times of the year (two for each vegetation type), in the rainy and dry seasons, using Guevara's Forage Balance
methodology and Cantú's formula for the calculation of phytomass production. Differences were obtained for the usable phytomass in each of the vegetation types, in favor of the rainy season (P < 0.05) over the dry season, due to the higher precipitation and temperature that favor plant growth during that period of the year, which allows greater primary productivity. The results of K in number of hectares (ha) per animal unit (AU) were 2.48 ha·AU^-1 for oak forest and 10.25 ha·AU^-1 for scrub-grassland, which differ from the data established by the COTECOCA grazing coefficients, which assume values of 9.77 ha·AU^-1 for oak forest and 8.80 ha·AU^-1 for scrub-grassland. In the case of mixed forest, there are no data on grazing coefficients reported by COTECOCA; however, this presents a value of 9.10 ha·AU^-1. These data allow us to increase the number of white-tailed deer individuals and establish a 1:1 ratio with the cattle-deer binomial to develop correct management in case of establishing a diversified livestock model for areas adjacent to General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río “Flor del Bosque” State Park