Winter severity and anthropogenic factors affect spatial behaviour of red deer in the Carpathians

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.

Factors affecting deer pressure on forest regeneration: The roles of forest roads, visibility and forage availability

“…There could be several explanations for this observed pattern. First, as found in studies based on radio‐tracked deer in Canada, the United States and Poland, red deer actively avoid the proximity of roads regardless of the time of day 22,38–39 . The most likely explanation for this phenomenon is that it is an effect of the strong selection pressure from hunting on the behavioural traits of red deer; this effect was shown in Cuiti et al ., 38 in which bold individuals with a higher movement rate and proportion of usage of open habitats close to roads had a higher probability of being harvested.…”

Seasonal home range and habitat selection patterns of sika deer Cervus nippon in southern Hokkaido, Japan

“…Southing behaviour by ungulate species, particularly in temperate regions, is a thermoregulation response in winter (Schmidt 1993). Other studies have suggested that southern slopes are more suitable wintering grounds for deer as they tend to have less snow cover than northern slopes, due to the greater amount of sunlight received (Borkowski et al 1996, Sakuragi et al 2003, Gilbert et al 2017, Bojarska et al 2020). Furthermore, less snow cover allows easier access to food.…”

Recreation and hunting differentially affect deer behaviour and sapling performance

“…These results are in line with recent studies showing similar avoidance of anthropogenic disturbance in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic fauna (Tucker et al 2018), but this was only recently recognised as an antipredator effect (Darimont et al 2015, Gaynor et al 2019, Suraci et al 2019, Zanette and Clinchy 2019). Also cervids are known to adjust their space‐use in response to human disturbance, as they avoid areas with human activities and infrastructure in the wider landscape (Nellemann et al 2010, Skarin and Alam 2017, Bojarska et al 2020). Our results are corroborated by studies in nature areas with high visitor numbers, which show that for example red deer avoid zones with higher human activity (Coppes et al 2017).…”