Title: (Optional) Identify the impact of the white-tailed deer population on Virginia residents.
Course: Fisheries and Wildlife Management (18501) > Section: Examining Mammalian Species

Identification may include

- role in ecosystem (keystone species)
- ecological effects of high deer densities (vegetation and other species of wildlife)
- effects on agriculture
- impact of white-tailed deer parasites on domestic livestock
- economic considerations
- vehicle traffic hazards
- impacts in urban settings
- anthropogenic effects
- biological carrying capacity and cultural carrying capacity
- management challenges
- hunting as a management tool.

Process/Skill Questions:

- Why have white-tailed deer numbers increased greatly since the early 1900s? How was this increase accomplished?
- How would an abundance of deer impact vehicular traffic?
- What is biological carrying capacity?
- What is cultural carrying capacity? What groups of people dictate it?
- What conflicts could be encountered in urban settings?
- What makes an urban setting a good habitat for white-tailed deer?
- What economic benefits would a healthy deer herd have on the local economy?
- What is a keystone species?
- Why are deer considered to be a keystone species in their ecosystem?
- What impact does the white-tailed deer population have on the presence of bears?
- What diseases are present in the white-tailed deer population?
- What is the diet of the white-tailed deer?
- How are the diets of deer impacted by suburbanization? Loss of habitat? Overpopulation?
- How can the overpopulation of deer and other species be humanely controlled?