White Tailed DeerWhite Tailed Deer

Jesse Murray

Biology I

Pd. 4

Niche of White Tailed DeerNiche of White Tailed DeerWhite tailed deer Odocoileus virginianusWhite tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

• Deer live in wooded areas, like those found near riparian zones.

• Deer depend on everything all other organisms rely on. They need the main things, like nitrates, phosphates, water, potassium, and glucose. All of these, except for water, which comes from streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds, comes from producers. They feed off of green plants such as clover i n the summer, corn and nuts in falls, and buds and twigs of woody plants in the winter.

• Deer mate in November in the northern parts of where they live, and in January and February in the southern parts where they live. About 6 months later they give birth They can have anywhere between 1 to 3 fawns. The fawns are reddish-brown at birth with white spots that help camouflage them. They are capable of walking at birth, and a few days later can forage for food. The mother will leave her fawns once they are born for hours at a time while she is out feeding. If she has more than one, she will hide them in multiple places. The fawns are weaned at about 6 weeks. The fawns hide while the mother goes out feeding. Female fawns will usually stay with their mother for about two years and males about a year.

Food Chain of Assigned OrganismFood Chain of Assigned Organism

An oak tree, being a producer, makes acorns, of which a deer will eat. A deer is a primary consumer and a herbivore, only eating plants. The secondary producer, possibly a coyote, will eat the deer. After the coyote dies, bacteria will break down the organic material.

Producer

Autotroph

Primary Consumer

Herbivore

Secondary Consumer

Carnivore

Decomposer

Bacteria

Food Web With White Tailed DeerFood Web With White Tailed Deer

Clover

Coyote

White Tailed Deer

Frog

Grasshopper

Corn Snake

A producer, in this case a clover, will be eaten by a primary consumer, which could be a white tailed deer or a grasshopper. A deer does not have many predators, and is therefore eaten by a tertiary consumer, in this case, a coyote. The grasshopper, though, has many predators and so consumed by a secondary consumer, which could be corn snake or a frog. These, then, are also consumed by the coyote, the tertiary consumer.

Stream Quality Data & AnalysisStream Quality Data & Analysis

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

No. oforganisms

Class IClass IIClass III

• Different amounts of organisms in different classes gives an idea of how polluted the stream is.

• More organisms in Class I represents a high water quality. They are very sensitive to pollution. More organisms in Class II means there is a moderate amount of pollution, because they are generally tolerant of it. More organisms in Class III means the stream has a poor water quality, since these are very tolerant of pollution.

• There are more organisms in Class I, meaning the stream has a high water quality, making it good drinking water and the plants around the stream healthier for the deer to ingest.

Water Testing Data & AnalysisWater Testing Data & Analysis

020406080

100120140

Nitrate

Oxygen

pH Phosphates

StreamMarshMine

• Nitrates are not good for the environment. Too much causes plants to grow in water, soon not allowing sunlight to reach lower levels in the water. Plants that die and decompose use up dissolved oxygen, causing more organisms to die. Oxygen is good for the water. Dissolved oxygen is need for organisms to survive under the water. PH should be kept at neutral, so that nutrients may be utilized in an efficient way. Phosphates are not good to have in water for the same reason as the nitrates.

• Nitrates should be kept at 0. Phosphates should also be kept at 0. Nothing can be done to bring these down. Dissolved oxygen should be kept at 9 or above. Adding rocks can help churn moving water and thus add oxygen from the atmosphere. PH, which should remain at 7, neutral, can be brought back up from acidic water to neutral by adding limestone to make the water more basic.

• A white tailed deer would fare better next to a stream than next to either the marsh or the mine. The stream has far less nitrates than either the mine or the marsh, making it healthier to drink out of because of the nitrates and the plant growth on the surface of the water. Less growth occurs in plants around the stream The stream has more dissolved oxygen in it than either the marsh or mine, but this makes no actual difference in the health of the deer. The pH level is a little lower than in the marsh, making almost no difference, but is much more neutral than the mine, making it more healthful to it when it drinks and the plants it eats around the stream.

• Temperature affects dissolved oxygen levels. The cooler the water is, the more oxygen it can hold. Warmer water can hold less. High turbidity can mess with predator – prey relationships, causing pyre to get away more often and starving the predators. The material making the water cloudy can also make it difficult for different underwater organisms to cling to rocks, causing them to be exposed to predators.

Positive and Negative FactorsPositive and Negative Factors

•. The stream water is very healthy for deer as there are low phosphate and nitrates, a near neutral pH level, and a good amount of dissolved oxygen. The marsh is not healthy because of high amount of nitrates in it and low amounts of dissolved oxygen. It has a neutral pH level and almost no phosphates, not really affecting the deer. The mine water is the least healthiest for the deer. It is very acidic, has low amounts of dissolved oxygen in it, and has nitrates. The only good part is there are no phosphates in it.

• Pollution comes from many sources. Sewage, abandoned mine, and fertilizers all create poor water quality. Abandoned mine water can have limestone added to make it less acidic. Less fertilizers can be used and be replaced by planting legumes. Sewage can be recycled and reused at different water spots.

ConclusionConclusion

•There’s a lot more to a stream than meets the eye in things like a stream’s quality.

• Different types of insects indicate a stream’s health.

• I would research more about other essential minerals and abiotic factors needed for life.

Work CitedWork Cited

•www.nhptv.org/NATUREWORKS/whitetaileddeer.htm

•http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/642641/white-tailed-deer

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_level