Red deer on the move: home range size and mobility in Bulgaria (original) (raw)
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Red deer on the move: home range size and mobility in Bulgaria
Ecologica Montenegrina, 2019
The red deer is a main game species in Bulgaria, as well as in large parts of Europe. However, its behaviour has not been studied in depth on a local scale, especially on the Balkans. This study presents the first GPS telemetry data for red deer in Bulgaria-in the Central and Eastern Balkan Mountains, the Rhodopi Mountains and the lowlands of Northeastern Bulgaria. 18 individuals (2 subadult stags, 12 adult stags and 4 adult hinds) were tracked, accumulating a total of 1159 (for males) and 1464 (for females) GPS fixes. In spite of the pronounced individual differences, all stags were more mobile (average step length/12 h = 857 m) and had larger home ranges (average HR = 7393 ha) than hinds (average HR = 2085 ha, average step length/12 h = 448 m). Three of the individuals (1 hind and 2 stags) dispersed, forming two distinct home ranges. The results from this study outline the need for detailed studies on the behavior of the species, as a vital part of its management and conservation.
Home range and migration patterns of male red deer Cervus elaphus in Western Carpathians
European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2014
This study provides for the first time in the Carpathians analysis of spatial behaviour of 20 male red deer monitored during 2005-2013 using radio-telemetry. Two distinct spatial patterns were displayed in the same local population, i.e. residential and migratory. Residential annual home ranges were significantly smaller compared to migratory ones using both Minimum Convex Polygon and Kernel Home Range, due to periodic movement of migrants between distinct seasonal ranges. Residents remained in the same area throughout the year and showed a positive age effect on the home range size. While seasonal ranges of migrants were comparable in size, residents surprisingly expanded their space use in winter compared to other seasons. Fidelity to seasonal ranges over the years, especially winter, was striking and comparable in both migrants and residents with increasing tendency throughout the year (37-68 %). Vertical differences in home range altitudes were most obvious in migrants, although in both migrant types, significant descent was recorded during the winter. The longest horizontal movements were recorded in three young stags emigrating to neighbouring mountain ranges (30, 47 and 65 km). Because 45 % of the population seems to be migratory, the data support importance of large-scale hunting management established in Slovakia in 2009.
Red deer (Cervus elaphus) were fitted with GPS collars to estimate their habitat use and feeding ethology. The purpose of the study was to find methods to reduce crop damage caused by deer. The collars were programmed to produce an hourly recording of position. Two different types of habitat were studied: a) An undisturbed and variable habitat (Zala County), b) A less variable area much disturbed by human activities (Sopron mountains). Comparisons were made between 1) the expansion of home range, 2) the intensity of open habitats use, and 3) the activity patterns of marked individuals in the two areas. The seasonal change of size of the home ranges showed similar dynamics in the two regions. The summer home range was always smaller than the autumn-winter ranges. In Zala County, the winter range often overlapped the summer range. In the Sopron mountain area, there was a definite home range shift. The summer home ranges in the Sopron area were examined using the 60 % Kernel method where differences were usually found between the day and night-time home areas. In the Zala region the phenomenon was not observed. The autumn-winter home range of stags is larger than that of hinds particularly in the summer. Examined with the minimum convex polygon method the difference is even larger than the results obtained from the Kernel method, which focuses on density distribution. This shows that the autumn-winter movements mostly represent rambling and only in a lesser, but still significant extent derive from the real extension of home ranges. Large differences existed at regional and individual levels regarding the use of the open habitats. The red deer in Zala used the open habitats in a more intensive way than those in Sopron. The daytime activity of the Sopron stags was less than that of the Zala stags. red deer/ home range / habitat use / activity patterns Kivonat-A gímszarvas területhasználata és mozgásaktivitása egy magas erdősültségű és egy mozaikos erdei élőhelyen. Gímszarvasokat jelöltünk GPS nyakörvekkel mozgáskörzetük és élőhelyhasználatuk becslése, táplálkozás-etológiájuk megismerése céljából annak érdekében, hogy vadkárcsökkentő módszereket fejlesszünk ki. A nyakörveket úgy programoztuk be, hogy óránként mérjenek pozíciókat. A vizsgálatot két, élőhelyi adottságukat tekintve eltérő területen végeztük: (a) Zala megyében, egy viszonylag zavartalanabb és változatosabb élőhelyi adottságú területen és (b) a Sopronihegyvidéken egy emberi tevékenység által erősen zavart, kevésbé mozaikos területen. A két területen
Home range and activity patterns of male red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in the alps
Oecologia, 1983
From 1978 to 1981 in the Bavarian Alps (Southern West Germany) the home range and activity patterns of nine male red deer have been studied using radio-telemetry. The home range patterns definetely change with age. Younger stags first follow the patterns of their mothers, then often emigrate from these home ranges and establish new ones elsewhere. Except for the change in range at about 2(1/2) years of age, these patterns seem to be very constant in both spatial as well as seasonal position and the size of the home ranges. Winter and rutting ranges are relatively small, averaging 113 ha and 134 ha, respectively, whereas the mean size of the home ranges used from spring to autumn amounts to some 386 ha. Just as do the home range patterns, so also do activity patterns exhibit a marked annual cycle. The daily sum total of activity varies from about 9 h in winter to some 15 h in summer. The daily distribution of activity reveals a typical bimodal 24-h rhythm which in the course of the y...
Winter severity and anthropogenic factors affect spatial behaviour of red deer in the Carpathians
Mammal research, 2020
Spatial ecology of red deer Cervus elaphus is shaped by both natural and anthropogenic factors. We used radio telemetry to investigate factors affecting habitat selection on two spatial scales, home range sizes and migratory behaviour of red deer (N = 8 individuals) in two mountain ranges of the western Carpathians in 2004-2007. The two study areas differed in terms of environmental conditions: Beskid Sądecki had higher altitudes, higher human population and road density and milder winters than Beskid Niski. Red deer in both areas selected forests and avoided agricultural habitats on both spatial scales. Elevation affected site selection only in Beskid Sądecki: deer selected higher altitudes for their home ranges, but lower altitudes within them. Deer avoided major roads when selecting their home ranges in both sites, but only in Beskid Sądecki, they also avoided roads within their home ranges. Deer in both study sites selected locations closer to supplementary feeding sites in winter. In years with more severe winters, deer in Beskid Niski displayed seasonal migration to south-facing slopes. Deer in Beskid Sadecki showed short-distance altitudinal movements from low elevations in winter to high elevations in summer, and a short-term descent to low elevations in August-September. Our results fit the general concept that climatic conditions and human-related factors shape spatial behaviour in ungulates, and that snow conditions are particularly important for migration. Climate change will likely contribute to diminishing migration in red deer in the Carpathians.
ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF RED DEER IN BIAŁOWIEŻA NATIONAL PARK, POLAND
Journal of Mammalogy, 2007
We studied daily activity patterns of 19 (7 males and 12 females) adult red deer (Cervus elaphus) by using continuous tracking sessions in Bia1owie_ za National Park (BNP), Poland, from 2001 to 2004. Male and female red deer were active throughout the day and night during all seasons, with several peaks in activity during the 24-h period, although both sexes tended to be more active during the day in winter. There were no significant differences between males and females in mean time active (8 h/day for both sexes), mean length of activity bouts (42 min), and mean number of activity bouts (12 bouts/day). Additionally, neither sex showed seasonal differences in hours active, bout length, or number of bouts per day. However, rainfall affected activity of males, whereas ambient temperature and snowfall affected activity of females. Although red deer are sexually dimorphic, which often leads to differences in movements and social groupings, our results suggest that their general activity patterns are influenced less by these sexual differences and more by the constraints of feeding and rumination, daily abiotic factors, and possibly predation risk from wolves (Canis lupus). Red deer in BNP did not exhibit strong bimodal peaks in activity at dawn and dusk as shown in previous studies, likely because strict limits on human activities in BNP allowed red deer to base their activity more on natural factors than on human-related factors.
“Move or Not to Move”—Red Deer Stags Movement Activity during the Rut
Animals, 2022
Detailed animal movement analysis can help understand spatial population processes as the ultimate consequences of individual behaviour and ecological impacts. The mating strategy of mammalian herbivores is adapted to the distribution of females; thus, it is important to observe the activity of animals during a rut. In this paper, we used a new approach to examine the relationship between red deer stags’ movement activity and the fertile period of hinds. We presumed a relationship between stags’ daily activity changes and the period when hinds are in heat. We determined temporal conception trends, including the first and last conception dates in the examined population and the conception peak. In the same period, i.e., in the interval of major ecological significance when mating takes place, the activity of stags was analysed by GPS telemetry. The data collected in the examined period indicate that 60% of the hinds were conceived between 31 August and 19 September. We demonstrated t...
Acta Silvatica Et Lignaria Hungarica, 2009
Red deer (Cervus elaphus) were fitted with GPS collars to estimate their habitat use and feeding ethology. The purpose of the study was to find methods to reduce crop damage caused by deer. The collars were programmed to produce an hourly recording of position. Two different types of habitat were studied: a) An undisturbed and variable habitat (Zala County), b) A less variable area much disturbed by human activities (Sopron mountains). Comparisons were made between 1) the expansion of home range, 2) the intensity of open habitats use, and 3) the activity patterns of marked individuals in the two areas. The seasonal change of size of the home ranges showed similar dynamics in the two regions. The summer home range was always smaller than the autumn-winter ranges. In Zala County, the winter range often overlapped the summer range. In the Sopron mountain area, there was a definite home range shift. The summer home ranges in the Sopron area were examined using the 60 % Kernel method where differences were usually found between the day and night-time home areas. In the Zala region the phenomenon was not observed. The autumn-winter home range of stags is larger than that of hinds particularly in the summer. Examined with the minimum convex polygon method the difference is even larger than the results obtained from the Kernel method, which focuses on density distribution. This shows that the autumn-winter movements mostly represent rambling and only in a lesser, but still significant extent derive from the real extension of home ranges. Large differences existed at regional and individual levels regarding the use of the open habitats. The red deer in Zala used the open habitats in a more intensive way than those in Sopron. The daytime activity of the Sopron stags was less than that of the Zala stags. red deer/ home range / habitat use / activity patterns Kivonat-A gímszarvas területhasználata és mozgásaktivitása egy magas erdősültségű és egy mozaikos erdei élőhelyen. Gímszarvasokat jelöltünk GPS nyakörvekkel mozgáskörzetük és élőhelyhasználatuk becslése, táplálkozás-etológiájuk megismerése céljából annak érdekében, hogy vadkárcsökkentő módszereket fejlesszünk ki. A nyakörveket úgy programoztuk be, hogy óránként mérjenek pozíciókat. A vizsgálatot két, élőhelyi adottságukat tekintve eltérő területen végeztük: (a) Zala megyében, egy viszonylag zavartalanabb és változatosabb élőhelyi adottságú területen és (b) a Sopronihegyvidéken egy emberi tevékenység által erősen zavart, kevésbé mozaikos területen. A két területen
Home Ranges of Red Deer in a European Old-growth Forest
American Midland Naturalist, 2008
We monitored four male and seven female red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Białowiez_a National Park (BNP), Poland, to determine their home ranges in one of the best preserved old-growth forests in lowland Europe, and with large (.15 kg) carnivores present. Mean home-range size of adult males (36.0 km 2 ) was significantly larger than adult females (8.4 km 2 ). Seasonal home-range sizes differed significantly among seasons for both males and females, with the largest home ranges being in autumn for males (23.0 km 2 ), and winter for females (7.1 km 2 ). Inter-sexual differences in home ranges appeared to be influenced by differences in reproductive strategies and physiological needs. Both sexes exhibited strong range fidelity, although home ranges in different years overlapped more for individual males (93-100%) than females (71-90%). Home ranges of red deer in BNP were substantially larger than that reported in previous studies throughout Europe, suggesting that in old-growth forests with large carnivores present (i.e., the historical situation for most of Europe), red deer need large areas to meet their seasonal and annual requirements.