Effects of climate on deer bone δ15N and δ13C: Lack of precipitation effects on δ15N for animals consuming low amounts of C4 plants

We have examined the relationship of bone collagen δ15N and δ13C to climatic variables, humidity, temperature, and amount of precipitation using fifty-nine specimens of North American white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from forty-six different locations. In previous studies of African mammals there was a significant correlation between bone collagen δ15N and local amount of precipitation. Results presented here similarly show an …