Moose (Alces alces) browsing in young forest stands in central Sweden: A multiscale perspective

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been in Australia for over 150 years. The first documented release in Queensland was on Cressbrook Station in 1873. Following further releases they have spread through the Brisbane, Mary, and Burnett River Valleys to have an estimated population of 15,000 animals. Red deer were a protected species for many years in Queensland, but in 2009 were declared a Class 3 pest animal. The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre National Feral Deer Management Workshop in 2005 reported there was a lack of credible, scientific knowledge about deer in Australia. This project addressed the following research questions relating to wild red deer in south-eastern Queensland: • What is the optimal method for estimating abundance? • What is their annual and seasonal home range? • Do red deer exhibit habitat preferences and what factors affect those preferences? Estimating Abundance: Walked line transect distance sampling, aerial line transect distance sampling, vehicle based spotlight counts and faecal pellet counts were used to estimate or obtain indices of abundance of wild red deer at Cressbrook Dam. For each method the labour input, costs and precision were estimated. Spotlighting performed best overall when comparing labour and costs with precision, but had a number of limitations. Walked line transects gave estimates of adequate and repeatable precision but the method was expensive for both labour and equipment. Aerial survey estimates were quick, relatively cost-effective and comparable to walked line transect estimates, but not as precise as other methods. Faecal pellet counts were expensive in terms of labour, but were very precise. Choosing a method for counting deer will be site and circumstance specific, and some recommendations are provided to assist land managers choose a method. The density of wild red deer at the study site was very high - estimated to be between 26 and 30 deer/km2. Home Range: Wild red deer were fitted with GPS collars to provide location information every 90 minutes. Data were obtained from 22 collared deer – 11 male (4 young adult, 7 mature adult) and 11 female (1 young adult, 10 mature adult). Annual home range was estimated using the 95% Local Convex Hull method to be approximately 359 ha for hinds and 1,323 ha for stags. The data indicate that the size of seasonal home range may be linked to seasonal conditions. Stags at our study site showed no elevated activity in summer compared to European reports. The home ranges at our study site were very large considering the high deer densities encountered. Habitat Use: Habitat preferences of GPS collared deer were explored by computing the resource selection ratios. The available and used resources for individual animals were compared at the home range level for various habitat components. The large data set (over 117,000 deer locations) allowed in-depth examination of possible factors that might affect habitat use. I examined foliage projective cover, aspect and slope to explore deer habitat preferences during the winter, summer and rut for day vs. night. Hinds showed a preference for using heavier cover in the day compared to night regardless of season, whereas stags only showed this preference in winter. Hinds showed a preference for southerly facing aspects in all seasons. Stags showed southerly and easterly preferences in winter and easterly preferences in summer. Hinds generally selected gentle to medium slopes, while stags chose moderate to steep slopes. Given the spread of deer generally in Australia most land managers will likely work towards population maintenance or reduction. Estimating deer abundance will be critical in monitoring progress towards set targets. If population reduction of wild red deer is desirable the best strategy may be to reduce the number of hinds. The home range data suggest that hinds have smaller home ranges than stags. Habitat preferences observed indicate that night time is the best time to target deer in less heavily vegetated environments where they are more visible.

We estimated home range size and habitat use of adult female moose (Alces alces) in Grims6, southcentral Sweden. Fourteen adult moose (3-8 yr old) were radiomarked and located from February 1982 through November 1985. Seasonal and annual home range sizes and habitat preferences were determined. Seasonal home range size varied. Summer home ranges were almost 2x larger than winter ranges (9.1 vs. 4.9 km2). Summer ranges constituted >70% of the annual home range. Home ranges overlapped a mean of >10% between all seasons. Annual home range averaged 12.6 km2 and contained ?2 core areas. Core areas represented a mean of 85% of all locations but only 50% of the total area. All annual home ranges overlapped with >-1 home range of other females. Females preferred clearcuts and young and medium-aged forests. Mature stands and bogs were avoided by female moose. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 52(2):336-343 The increase in the moose population in Fennoscandia during the late 1970's and early 1980's has been related to an increase in the amount and distribution of food resources caused by changes in forest management and controlled, selective hunting (Cederlund and Markgren 1986, Haagenrud et al. 1986, Stilfelt 1986). The moose population varies in density between regions and local areas. Experiences from hunters and aerial surveys have indicated that many local areas contain few moose ( 1.0/km2) (T. Thirnhuvud, Flyginventering i Vaisternorrlands iin.-Analyser och firslag till prognosf6rbaittrande Atgiirder, Grims6 Rep. 48 pp., 1983). Managers consider local moose densities to be related to hunting pressure and food distribution (Cederlund and Markgren 1986). Proper management of moose can be facilitated with a better understanding of moose distribution and home ranges. Females are the basic unit for moose management; their density and age distribution determines overall production of calves (Markgren 1969, Saether and Haagenrud 1983). Females also contribute to habitat use of offspring (Sigman 1977), determine movements to seasonal ranges (Mytton and Keith 1981, Sandegren et al. 1983), and establish home ranges of their calves (Gasaway et al. 1980, Cederlund et al. 1987). Our objectives were to (1) estimate female moose expansion of, and fidelity to, individual home ranges during different seasons and years in a high density moose population; (2) determine female moose selection of forest habitats during different seasons; and (3) provide recommendations for management unit size and forestry practices. We are grateful to P. Y. Sweanor for comments and stylistic correction of the manuscript. We thank the staff at Grims6 for radiotracking. We thank P. G. Ahlqvist for marking moose. This study was supported by the Swedish Environment Protection Board.

Home range size is a basic ecological index related to individual's realized niche. Its size can be influenced by body size, sex, maternal status, population density, habitat productivity, spatiotemporal variation of resources, climate, predation risk, and disturbance. Home range estimation can also be greatly affected by methodology and sampling regime. We used Global Positioning System collar data to assess what factors influenced the size of annual home ranges (space use during a single active season) of 28 female and 8 male brown bears (Ursus arctos) that denned in the Brooks Range of northcentral Alaska, USA, from 2014 to 2017. We used 2 methods to estimate annual home ranges, the Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) and the dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Model (dBBMM). Contrary to expectations, we did not find that larger bodied bears of the same sex had larger annual home ranges. Annual home ranges of male bears (mean [standard deviation]; 504 [312] km2 and 3,886 [4,279] km2, using dBBMM and KDE, respectively) were 3.7–9.4 times larger than that of females (135 [86] km2 and 411 [738] km2, respectively). We found that greater chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) consumption was associated with larger annual home ranges for both sexes. In contrast, coastal brown bear populations that consume high levels of salmon often have small annual home ranges. We suggest that the relatively long distance (up to 100 km) between salmon streams and another key resource, denning habitat, is a reason for the positive association between salmon consumption and annual home range size. Although age was not in our top model for annual home range size, younger bears tended to have larger annual home ranges. We documented the fact that individuals of both sexes had the largest annual home ranges of any we could find for brown bears worldwide, using a traditional measure of space use (KDE). However, very large annual home ranges were associated with nonlocalized movements and the alternative method (dBBMM) to delineate these ranges provided more realistic range estimates. We discuss options and limitations of estimating space use and recommend caution when comparing space use between studies. With large-scale industrial infrastructure approved for development in this previously undeveloped region, the size and drivers of bear annual home ranges have numerous management implications. Brown bears with large annual home ranges in northcentral Alaska, where primary productivity is relatively low and denning habitat often far from salmon-bearing streams, are likely to move outside conservation units and encounter more risks as they interact with human infrastructure.

We investigated habitat use of Columbian black-tailed deer in urban Vancouver, Clark County, Washington, at 3 spatial scales: (1) placement of the annual home range within the landscape mosaic, (2) annual and seasonal locations of deer within the annual home range, and (3) short-term use of critical habitats (fawning areas) within seasonal ranges. Annual home range sizes of deer were 162 ha (SD = 133; 95% minimum convex polygon; MCP) and 266 ha (SD = 228; 95% adaptive kernel; AK) for does, and 756 ha (SD = 290; MCP) and 1,235 ha (SD = 382; AK) for bucks. Home range composition of does did not differ from the study area; home ranges of bucks contained more Natural ecological land-use cover types (ELUs) than did the study area. Within home ranges, both does and bucks used Natural ELUs more often than expected by their occurrence in the home range, both annually and seasonally. During the fawning season, does were also found in Natural ELUs more often than expected. Clark County-designated habitat corridors differed from both the study area and deer home ranges in habitat composition, primarily by containing more Natural and other undeveloped ELUs. Deer were located in habitat corridors more than expected. Deer in urban areas appear to use undeveloped habitat types for security. Management that maintains Natural ELUs, such as establishment of wildlife corridors, can provide important habitat components for black-tailed deer in urban habitats.

Habitat Effects on Condition of Doe Mule Deer in Arid Mixed Woodland-grassland

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 四川羚牛的家域与忠诚度 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201403040372 作者: 作者单位: 绵阳师范学院 生态安全与保护四川省重点实验室 绵阳 四川; 北京师范大学 生命科学学院 生物多样性与生态工程教育重点实验室 北京,盐城师范学院 江苏省滩涂生物资源与环境保护重点建设实验室 盐城 江苏;,绵阳师范学院 生态安全与保护四川省重点实验室 绵阳 四川,四川唐家河国家级自然保护区,四川唐家河国家级自然保护区,动物生态学与保护生物学重实验室 中国科学院动物研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: Q958 基金项目: 国家自然科学青年基金项目(31300319);绵阳师范学院启动项目(QD2012A12) Home range and fidelity of Sichuan takin Author: Affiliation: Mian Yang Normal University,,,,,Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:野生动物倾向回到或留在一个特定范围或者与原有区域完全重叠的行为被称为栖息地忠诚。利用GPS无线电颈圈对5只四川羚牛的家域及家域的季节和年度忠诚度进行了研究和分析(2006-2009年)。结果显示:四川羚牛年均家域面积为(MCP/FKE)(15.01±2.92)km2/(9.02±1.85) km2,但个体间及年际波动较大;季节间家域面积差异显著, 个体家域的季节变化体现出较一致的变化模式,最大季节家域主要集中于春季和夏季。年际间季节家域忠诚度最高的是秋季和夏季,冬季家域年际忠诚度最低,春季家域忠诚度也相对较低。单因素方差分析显示季节间质心距离总体差异不显著,与家域重叠算法获得的忠诚度结论基本一致。 Abstract:Migrant and resident are observed to return or stay within a specific range of habitat, close to or completely overlap with its original distribution area, known as habitat fidelity. In this study, we estimated takin seasonal and annual home range size and its fidelity between years by utilizing 9 GPS radio collars on adult takin(2006-2009). Results shown annual home range of takin was (MCP/FKE)(15.01±2.92)km2 /(9.02±1.85) km2, suggesting individual home range varied among individuals and years. For each individual, we found variation of seasonal home range between years. Most of individuals shown similar pattern of seasonal home range variation, thus the largest home range always found in summer or spring. We extracted the centriods of seasonal / annual home range polygon and calculate its distance between years. We tried the distance between two centriods as one surrogate of home range fidelity. Besides, we considered the overlap ratio of home range between two consecutive years as the most important parameter of home range fidelity.Therefore, we found annual home range fidelity of certain season variation exist, especially for summer and autumn. Both ways of home range fidelity assessment produced similar results. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

A wolverine (Gulo gulo) population was studied in the Susitna Basin southcentral Alaska from 1980 to 1983. Based on logarithmic extrapolations, annual home range sizes were estimated at 535 and 105 km2 for males and postpartus females, respectively. Wolverines utilized significantly different (P < 0.05) elevational strata during different seasons (: = 1,043 and 818 m for Apr-Oct and Nov-Mar, respectively), probably in response to differences in prey distribution and abundance. Habitat analyses showed an avoidance forest types in summer and tundra types in winter. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 50(3):460-463 The wolverine, the largest terrestrial mustelid, has a circumboreal distribution and a valuable pelt. Because wolverine population densities are naturally low and the elusive animals occupy remote habitats, few studies have been conducted. This paper describes home range, movements, and habitat use by wolverines in southcentral Alaska. This study was supported by the Alaska Power Authority and the Alaska Dep. Fish and Game (ADFG). Appreciation is expressed to ADFG employees S. R. Peterson and R. J. Tobey for reviewing early drafts the manuscript. E. A. Goodwin provided critical lab time and support. S. M. Miller provided statistical support. K. Z. Adler handled typing and bookkeeping throughout the project. Pilots V. and C. Lofstedt, H. C. McMahan, and A. and J. Lee participated in the field aspects the project. STUDY AREA AND METHODS The study was conducted in a 7,700-km2 portion the upper Susitna River Basin in southcentral Alaska. Characteristics of the habitat have been described previously by Skoog (1968). Elevations range from 260 to 2,200 m. Low elevations are dominated by spruce (Picea spp.) forests, with a shrub and deciduous transition zone blending to tundra and shrub birch (Betula spp.) habitat types at higher elevations. From 1980 to 1983, 22 wolverines were captured, radiocollared (Ballard et al. 1982), and tracked from fixed-wing aircraft. Wolverines were subjectively aged based on tooth wear patterns and degree maturation reproductive organs. Radio transmitters (Telonics, Inc., Mesa, Ariz.) were enclosed in metal canisters, and the transmitter-to-antenna connection was encased in urethane. Collar webbing was made butyl rubber with an internal stainless steel whip antenna. The entire radio-collar package weighed 430 g. Wolverine locations were gathered whenever weather and daylight permitted and were plotted on 1:63,360-scale U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. The following data were recorded: date, time, activity, association, elevatio , aspect, slope, and associated habitat type (Viereck and Dyrness 1980). Availability habitat to the animals was determined by recording the habitat type at each section corner the mapped study area (McKendrick et al. 1982). Use habitat was determined by plotting all wolverine locations that were within the mapped area (N = 178) and tallying corresponding types. Statistical comparisons between availability and use were determined by a standard F-test. Logarithmic transformations based on the relationships between the number locations and cumulative home range size were used to project annual home range sizes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION From April 1980 to November 1983, length contact with instrumented wolverines ranged from 1 to 426 days (f = 147). A total 258 point locations was gathered. Mortality (N = 10) and suspected transmitter failure (N = 7) were the primary reasons for loss contact. In 1983, transmitters were redesigned to reduce failure. Home Range The relationship between number locations and home range size was examined (Fig. 1) and used to estimate total annual home range

The habitat selection criteria of mooseAlces alcesat several scales are the basic sets of information needed in moose management planning. We studied moose habitat use in central Finland during 1993–1996 using data from radio collared moose, satellite image based forest and land cover data, and applied the principles of compositional analysis. The habitat compositions of 54 home ranges (10 males during summer, six males during winter, 23 females during summer and 15 females during winter) were first compared with the overall landscape. The habitat compositions around moose locations within their home ranges were then compared with the habitat composition of the home range. Seasons and sexes were compared at both scales. In summer, there was only a slight difference between moose home ranges and the overall landscape. Based on tree species composition, home ranges are located in slightly more fertile areas than the overall landscape. Within their home ranges, moose favoured non‐pine dominated habitats and mature forests, and avoided human settlements. In winter, the moose home ranges included significantly more pine‐dominated plantations and other young successional stages than the overall landscape. The role of pine‐dominated peatland forests/ shrub land was especially pronounced in winter. Winter home ranges included less agricultural land and human settlements than the overall landscape, probably due to the more distant location of important winter habitats from man‐made landscapes. Within the home ranges, both sexes used non‐pine dominated habitats more, and mature forests and human settlements less than expected. At the home range scale, there were no statistical differences between the sexes with respect to habitat use in either season. Within their home ranges, males and females used slightly different habitats during both seasons, suggesting spatially segregated habitat use by the individual sexes. The difference is more clear in winter when males tend to use more pine‐dominated, young successional habitats than females. Compared to the situation in the summer, winter ranges are located in slightly more pine‐dominated habitats with fewer settlements and agricultural fields. The shift in habitat use between the two seasons is more pronounced with respect to habitat use within the home range. Our results indicate that moose habitat selection criteria vary among different hierarchical levels of selection. We stress the importance of multi‐scale assessment of the habitat and other resource selection of animals.

Mountain gorillas are highly folivorous. Food is abundant and perennially available in much of their habitat. Still, limited research has shown that single gorilla groups heavily used areas where food biomass and quality were relatively high and where they met daily nutritional needs with relatively low foraging effort. Also, ecological factors influenced solitary males less than groups with females. Long-term data on habitat use by multiple mountain gorilla social units and more extensive data on variation in food distribution, presented here, confirm that food distribution influences areal occupation densities across groups and over time. These data also confirm the group/solitary male distinction and show that food distribution became more important for one male once he acquired females. Groups used ≤25 km2, and inter-annual home range and core area overlap was often low. Annual home range and core area size varied considerably within groups and across years. It bore no simple relationship to group size and estimated group biomass. Core areas were biased samples of total home ranges and were relatively good foraging areas. One group abruptly shifted its home range in response to male mating competition. Home ranges of two others expanded from 1981 to 1987, though at a decreasing rate. Data on one such group, which varied considerably in size, are consistent with arguments that costs of scramble competition are low except in unusually large groups. Low site fidelity, low scramble costs, and high home range overlap should decrease the ecological costs of female transfer.

Presented here are the results of research on spatial organisation among hares originating from enclosure-type rearing but released into a natural environment for them. The fates of the 60 animals were traced by radiotelemetry in the course of four successive years of research. The mean annual home range size was found to be 1.68 km2 in males, significantly greater than that noted for females (0.43 km2). Similar relationships were observed in the case of seasonal ranges. The mean distance of movements noted for hares between successive radio-locations in the first month after release (at 239 m) was significantly greater than that noted for the second month (103 m) or the third (116 m). The mean distance of movement within individual annual home range for the males hares was 335 m and was significantly greater than that for females (226 m). Similar findings were obtained for seasonal ranges.

To better understand the habitat relationships of the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), and how such relationships might influence forest management, we studied home-range and habitat use of radio-marked owls in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)-Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) forest. Annual home-range size (95% adaptive-kernel estimate) averaged 895 ha ± + 70 (SE) for 12 individuals and 997 ha ± 186 (SE) for 7 pairs of owls. On average, the 75% adaptive-kernel contour (a probability contour containing 75% of the owl locations) included 32 and 30% of the annual home range for individuals and pairs, respectively, suggesting high concentration of activity in a relatively small portion of the home range. Relative area of three cover types (ponderosa pine forest, pine-oak forest, and meadow) did not differ between seasonal ranges, and owls used these cover types in proportion to their relative area during both breeding and nonbreeding seasons. In contrast, relative area of four canopy-cover classes varied between seasons. Breeding-season ranges contained greater proportions of areas with canopy cover ≥ 60% and lower proportions of areas with 20-39% canopy cover than nonbreeding-season ranges. Owls roosted and foraged in stands with ≥ 60% canopy cover more than expected during both breeding and nonbreeding seasons, and used stands with 20-39% canopy cover less than expected except for foraging during the breeding season. Stands used for foraging did not differ in structure between seasons and had greater canopy cover and less rock cover than stands with no documented use. Stands used for roosting differed between seasons in a multivariate comparison, but no individual habitat variables differed between seasons in subsequent univariate comparisons. In both seasons, stands used for roosting had greater canopy cover than stands with no roosting use. Closed-canopy forests, which were used heavily by owls, were relatively rare on the study area, suggesting that such forests warrant special protection in areas managed for spotted owls. This may conflict with efforts to restore more open conditions in ponderosa pine forests. For. Sci. 45(1):127-135.

Deer in the agriculture-forest matrix: Interacting effects of land uses on browsing pressure on trees

Context Wild deer are increasing worldwide and, in Australia, prompting land managers to review management strategies. Management activities may be ineffective without a sound understanding of the ecology of the species. No peer-reviewed research has been published for wild red deer in Australia, where they have been introduced. Aims To help land managers gain an understanding of some movement parameters of introduced wild red deer out of their natural range. Methods GPS collars were used to obtain movement rates (m h–1), annual home range using three estimators and seasonal home range using the Local Convex Hull estimator. Key findings Deer at our study site displayed typical crepuscular movements. However, the lack of elevated activity for stags in summer varies greatly to reports from overseas. The annual home range of hinds was much smaller than that of stags. Large differences for seasonal home ranges from the same deer for two winters suggest that seasonal conditions may exert a large influence on the size of home ranges. The home ranges of deer at our study site were comparable with the largest reported in European studies, but the relationship between deer density and home-range area was markedly different. Conclusions It appears that Australian wild red deer behave differently from their European conspecifics for several important movement parameters. Wild stags did not display the high levels of movement activity in summer, like those in Europe, and the home-range areas of our deer were very large for the high densities we encountered compared with overseas reports. Implications Targeted management of hinds may prove beneficial as hinds had a much smaller and continuous home range than stags. If managers want to target stags, there is only a short rut period when they continually associate with hinds and that may be the most efficacious time for control. Additionally, future research may need to explore the link between home range and deer density, and the effect of variation in rainfall on home range and movement of wild red deer which may influence management activities more than do the regular seasonal patterns found in Europe.

The expansion of the cellulosic biofuels industry throughout the United States has broad‐scale implications for wildlife management on public and private lands. Knowledge is limited on the effects of reverting agriculture to native grass, and vice versa, on size of home range and habitat use of white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We followed 68 radiocollared female deer from 1991 through 2004 that were residents of DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) in eastern Nebraska, USA. The refuge was undergoing conversion of vegetation out of row‐crop agriculture and into native grass, forest, and emergent aquatic vegetation. Habitat in DNWR consisted of 30% crop in 1991 but removing crops to establish native grass and wetland habitat at DNWR resulted in a 44% reduction in crops by 2004. A decrease in the amount of crops on DNWR contributed to a decline in mean size of annual home range from 400 ha in 1991 to 200 ha in 2005 but percentage of crops in home ranges increased from 21% to 29%. Mean overlap for individuals was 77% between consecutive annual home ranges across 8 years, regardless of crop availability. Conversion of crop to native habitat will not likely result in home range abandonment but may impact disease transmission by increasing rates of contact between deer social groups that occupy adjacent areas. Future research on condition indices or changes in population parameters (e.g., recruitment) could be incorporated into the study design to assess impacts of habitat conversion for biofuel production.

Escaping drought: Seasonality effects on home range, movement patterns and habitat selection of the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard