Data from: Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Wyoming

• Main Authors: DeVivo, Melia T., Edmunds, David R., Kauffman, Matthew J., Schumaker, Brant A., Binfet, Justin, Kreeger, Terry J., Richards, Bryan J., Schätzl, Hermann M., Cornish, Todd E.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2018
• Subjects: Leslie matrix model; mule deer; population growth rate; Odocoileus hemionus; Prnp genotype; Alces alces
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h66cn

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and moose (Alces alces shirasi) in North America. In southeastern Wyoming average annual CWD prevalence in mule deer exceeds 20% and appears to contribute to regional population declines. We determined the effect of CWD on mule deer demography using age-specific, female-only, CWD transition matrix models to estimate the population growth rate (λ). Mule deer were captured from 2010–2014 in southern Converse County Wyoming, USA. Captured adult (≥ 1.5 years old) deer were tested ante-mortem for CWD using tonsil biopsies and monitored using radio telemetry. Mean annual survival rates of CWD-negative and CWD-positive deer were 0.76 and 0.32, respectively. Pregnancy and fawn recruitment were not observed to be influenced by CWD. We estimated λ = 0.79, indicating an annual population decline of 21% under current CWD prevalence levels. A model derived from the demography of only CWD-negative individuals yielded; λ = 1.00, indicating a stable population if CWD were absent. These findings support CWD as a significant contributor to mule deer population decline. Chronic wasting disease is difficult or impossible to eradicate with current tools, given significant environmental contamination, and at present our best recommendation for control of this disease is to minimize spread to new areas and naïve cervid populations. Capture and Mortality Metrics of Mule Deer in SE Wyoming This data was collected from 2010-2014 of helicopter captured mule deer near Douglas, Wyoming, USA. The information is coded and look-up tables are provided on additional worksheets contained in the Excel file that explain what each code represents. Mule deer were GPS radio-collared and followed for the duration of the study. Marked deer were recaptured annually to test for CWD and pregnancy. CWD_MuleDeer_WY.xlsx