Winter severity and anthropogenic factors affect spatial behaviour of red deer in the Carpathians
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Winter severity and anthropogenic factors affect spatial behaviour of red deer in the Carpathians Katarzyna Bojarska 1 & Katarzyna Kurek 1 & Stanisław Śnieżko 1 & Izabela Wierzbowska 2 & Wiesław Król 1 & Ewa ZyśkGorczyńska 3 & Grzegorz Baś 1 & Elżbieta Widera 2 & Henryk Okarma 2 Received: 4 March 2020 / Accepted: 23 June 2020 # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract 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. Keywords Cervus elaphus . Habitat selection . Home range . Migration . Roads . Supplementary feeding . Western Carpathians
Introduction Red deer Cervus elaphus is one of the most widespread wild ungulates in the world, and its spatial behaviour varies greatly throughout the species’ range (Clutton-Brock et al. 1982). Red deer home range size and habitat selection are related to both Communicated by: Dries Kuijper Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-020-00520-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Katarzyna Bojarska [email protected] 1
Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, A. Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
2
Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
3
Glass Traps Foundation, Murarska 25/27/6, 54-135 Wrocław, Poland
natural and anthropogenic factors. For instance, the size of home range in red deer is influenced by climate, forage quality and availability, topography, population density, pred
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