Effect of Compositing Samples on Analysis of Fecal Nitrogen

We compared percent nitrogen of 12 composited fecal samples of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with means of samples that were analyzed individually (n = 191). We hypothesized that composites and means of individual samples would be similar in fecal nitrogen (FN). No significant differences in FN were found between composites and means of individuals (P > 0.70). Comparison of deer populations using composites and individuals yielded similar results (P > 0.10). J. WILDL. MANAGE. 53(1):213-215 Compositing fecal samples is common in studies of wildlife nutrition (Kie and Burton 1984, Leslie and Starkey 1985). Large numbers of samples can be handled in less time when aliquots of individual samples are combined into composites because the number of analyses is reduced. Also, many small mammal species may not produce adequate amounts of fecal material for individual analysis. However, the assumption that composites are similar to means of individual samples has not been tested and some information (e.g., sample variance) is unavailable when composites are used in statistical anal-