Habitat patches and their selection by wapiti and black-tailed deer in a coastal montane coniferous forest.
Abstract
A study of Cervus elaphus and Odocoileus hemionus during May-Oct. in a partially logged Abies amabilis forest on the W. slope of the Cascade Range in Washington, USA. Six major plant community types were identified from multivariate analysis of floristic data, principally associated with soil moisture and stand age gradients. O. hemionus preferred xeric patches dominated by browse and forbs, whereas C. elaphus preferred mesic patches dominated by graminoids and forbs.