Growth pattern and turnover of carbon and nitrogen measured by stable isotope ratios in the hair of sika deer (Cervus nippon).

Rationale: Hair is known to preserve diet history and other physiological information during its growth period and is often used in chemical analyses. However, the growth patterns and turnover of hair vary according to the animal species or habitat, so understanding these patterns in the target animal is necessary for interpreting the results of hair analyses. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the growth pattern and dietary information of winter coat hair in captive sika deer (Cervus nippon).

Occurrence patterns of crop-foraging sika deer distribution in an agriculture-forest landscape revealed by nitrogen stable isotopes.

Conflicts arising from the consumption of anthropogenic foods by wildlife are increasing worldwide. Conventional tools for evaluating the spatial distribution pattern of large terrestrial mammals that consume anthropogenic foods have various limitations, despite their importance in management to mitigate conflicts. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution pattern of crop-foraging sika deer by performing nitrogen stable isotope analyses of bone collagen.