Evolutionary aspects of dietary selection and digestion in the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) with special reference to seasonality

Abstract

The European roe deer (Cupreolus cupreolus) is the smallest wild ruminant species in the northern hemisphere. Capreolini are represented in the fossil record of Eurasia by an array of forms extending from the Miocene to the Recent. Interestingly, a map of fossil occurrences shows that the historical range is fairly congruent with the recent distribution of Capreolirs; roe deer have always been temperate-zone animals of Eurasia (Lister et al. 1998). In contrast to many other large herbivores the roe deer population in Europe increased both in terms of distribution and density during the last 100 years. This emphasises the flexible response of the species to rapidly changing environmental conditions and their potential to adapt to new resources in modern agriculture and forestry.This paper reviews aspects of evolution, dietary selection, digestion and adaptation of the European roe deer to the changing environment.In terms of feeding type, roe deer have been classified as a typical concentrate selector (Hofmann 1989), browsing on highly digestible plant parts. However, this feeding strategy can not be sustained during winter when forage is less available and its digestibility is reduced. Body reserves generally play no major role in roe deer (Holand 1992).Roe deer have developed several mechanisms to adapt to seasonal variations in their environment. It is the only ungulate that is strictly monestric with a genetically fixed diapause. Fawns are born in May when the quality of browse is at an optimum, and twins or even triplets are common. It is concluded that the perfect synchrony between seasonal changes of the resources and the demand due to reproductive investment may be the key function for the success of roe deer in temperate and northern climates.

The systematics of the Cervidae: a total evidence approach

“…Despite the widely accepted assumption that Procapreolus cusanus is closely related to or even a direct ancestor of Capreolus, the origin of Capreolus within Procapreolus is still under debate (Lechner-Doll et al, 2001). Some authors hypothesise that it may be assigned to Capreolus rather than Procapreolus (Valli, 2010).…”

“…Some authors hypothesise that it may be assigned to Capreolus rather than Procapreolus (Valli, 2010). Others place it in an intermediate position between lower Pliocene and Pleistocene Procapreolus species and extant Capreolus (Czyżewska, 1968;Heintz, 1970;Lechner-Doll et al, 2001).…”

The feed preference of roe deer in different habitats

“…In the lowland habitat studied, deer also favoured monocotyledonous crops, as a relatively high proportion of these samples contained autumn-sown cereals, which are a very important food for roe deer during the autumn-winter period, similar to the results of Mátrai (2000), where his findings showed that roe deer dietary choice in the field habitat differed only in the crops consumed and not in their distribution. Roe deer have been classified as a typical concentrate selector, browsing on highly digestible plant parts (Lechner-Doll et al, 2008).…”