Microgeographic and temporal variation in mandible size within a New Zealand fallow deer (Dama dama) population

Habitat-related differences in size in a population of fallow deer (Dama dama L.) occupying the Blue Mountains, Otago, New Zealand, were identified by using five measurements from the mandibles of 1302 deer collected between 1983 and 1989. The measurements were standardized for age and sex, and discriminant analyses were used to compare mandible size between areas within the population's range. Deer from areas containing mainly indigenous beech (Nothofagus) forest were significantly smaller than those from areas containing mainly exotic plantations, reflecting differences in the availability of preferred foods