Wolf food habits and wild ungulate availability in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Italy

Mattioli, Luca; Apollonio, Marco; Mazzarone, Vito; Centofanti, Ettore

doi:10.4098/at.arch.95-36

Cited by 86 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In all locations in Europe, wolves killed mainly young wild boar (Gavrin and Donaurov 1954, Lavov 1972, Ryabov 1974, Gatikh 1979, Rusakov 1979b, Kuzmin and Khakhin 1980, Litvinov 1981, Kudaktin 1982, Brtek and Voskâr 1987, Kochetkov 1988, Jędrzejewski et al 1992, Śmietana and Klimek 1993, Kuchmel 1994, Mattioli et al 1995. A similar pattern of wolf predation on wild boar was reported in Asia (Abdunazarov and Taryannikov 1991).…”

Section: Effects Of Wolf Predation On Ungulate Communitiessupporting

confidence: 55%

“…Among wild ungulates, roe deer were more intensively preyed upon than wild boar (Brana et al 1982, Cuesta et al 1991. In most locations in Italy, wild boar populations are expanding (Apollonio et al 1988) and are the most important wild prey , Sacchi et al 1994, Mattioli et al 1995. Dependence of wolves on wild boar reflects availability.…”

Section: Eastern Caucasusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…19). Wild boar are positively selected in only a few locations in Russia (Kudaktin 1978, Kochetkov 1988 and Italy (Mattioli et al 1995), which may be the result of specific local conditions (eg few species of ungulates available, mainly moose and wild boar, and their relative densities). Wild boar also may be locally vulnerable to wolves (due to specific habitat conditions or a preponderance of young, or distinct prey preferences of some wolf packs).…”

Section: Effects Of Wolf Predation On Ungulate Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The trophic ecology of wolves and their predatory role in ungulate communities of forest ecosystems in Europe

Okarma¹

1995

Acta Theriol.

146

125

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H. 1995. The trophic ecology of wolves and their predatory role in ungulate communities of forest ecosystems in Europe. Acta Theriologica 40: 335-386.Predation by wolves Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 in ungulate communities in Europe, with special reference to the multi-species system o f Białowieża Primeval Forest (Poland/Belarus), was assessed on the basis results of original research and literature. In historical times (post-glacial period), the geographical range of the w olf and most ungulate species in Europe decreased considerably. Community richness of ungulates and potential prey for wolves, decreased over most o f the continent from 5 -6 species to 2 -3 species. The w olf is typically an opportunistic predator with a highly diverse diet; however, cervids are its preferred prey. Red deer Ceruus elaphus are positively selected from ungulate communities in all localities, moose Alces alces are the major prey only where middle-sized species are scarce. Roe deer Capreolus capreolus are locally preyed on intensively, especially where they have high density, co-exist mainly with moose or wild boar Sus scrofa, and red deer is scarce or absent. Wild boar are generally avoided, except in a few locations; and European bison Bison bonasus are not preyed upon by wolves. W olf predation contributes substantially to the total natural mortality of ungulates in Europe: 42.5% for red deer, 34.5% for moose, 25.7% for roe der, and only 16% for wild boar. Food niche breadth (B) o f wolves in Europe, calculated only for the ungulates considered in this study, increases with the number o f ungulate species in the community. There is also a significant rela tionship between ungulate community breadth and food niche breadth of wolves. Food niche breadth o f wolves, however, does not achieve very high values even in the richest ungulate communities. Wolves easily adapt to locally abundant food of anthropogenic origin (livestock, garbage). The level of predation on livestock may be a result of different husbandry practices (eg use of livestock guarding dogs) rather than of differences in availability of wild and domestic prey. Available data from Europe suggest that wolves likely limit density of red deer and moose in some areas. Roe deer density can be decreased locally by wolves but is limited mainly by lynx Lynx lynx. Wild boar density is more influenced by mast crops of Quercus spp. and Fagus siluatica (and to a lesser extent by snow depth) than by w olf predation.

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Section: Effects Of Wolf Predation On Ungulate Communitiessupporting

confidence: 55%

Section: Eastern Caucasusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effects Of Wolf Predation On Ungulate Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The trophic ecology of wolves and their predatory role in ungulate communities of forest ecosystems in Europe

Okarma¹

1995

Acta Theriol.

146

125

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“…In Portugal, roe deer populations located south of the Douro River are the result of several reintroductions to provide game or to increase the density of natural prey for wolf (Canis lupus) populations (Mattioli et al 1995, Vingada et al 1997. Such reintroductions are not new in Mediterranean habitats and have been applied in Spain, France and Italy (Gerard et al 1997, Perco et al 1997, Maillard et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ranging behaviour of translocated roe deer in a Mediterranean habitat: seasonal and altitudinal influences on home range size and patterns of range use

Carvalho¹,

Nogueira²,

Soares³

et al. 2008

Mammalia

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In this study we investigated the causes of seasonal variation in the home ranges of roe deer reintroduced to the Gardunha Mountains (Portugal). From May 2002 to April 2003, 1 year after the animals had been released, we collected data using radio-tracking techniques for five monitored animals (two males and three females). We found differences in the size of home ranges between seasons, with home ranges larger in summer than winter (minimum convex polygon peeled to 95%: summer 409.64"98.20 ha, winter 116.20"17.90 ha). This is contrary to evidence from central and northern Europe, where home ranges are typically larger in winter than summer. Moreover, two of the sampled females and one of the males tended to use higher elevations in summer. Comparisons between Mediterranean populations and those in central and northern Europe showed that Mediterranean populations in the winter easily fulfil their needs within a small area, whereas in the hot dry summer a larger area is needed. Furthermore, individuals prefer a higher, cooler mountainous habitat in summer, which is likely to be a means of avoiding warmer temperatures.

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“…In the years of the lowest recorded levels of the Italian wolf population , only a few individuals were reported in these areas (Cagnolaro et al 1974) and only since the early 1990s has the wolf population recovered (Mattioli et al 1995;Scandura et al 2001;Apollonio et al 2004a;Mattioli et al 2004), as a direct consequence of specific conservation laws.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Acoustic Structure of Wolf Howls in Some Eastern Tuscany (Central Italy) Free Ranging Packs

et al. 2010

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Italian wolf howls are described for the first time from observations between 2003-2008 of a population living in eastern Tuscany, central Italy. A sample of 37 howls selected among single responses and 128 howls included in the choruses of 7 free ranging packs was recorded and analysed. The mean fundamental frequency of the howls ranged between 274-908 Hz. Two main structures recognised by means of multivariate explorative analysis, in particular Principal Component and Cluster Analysis, were ascribed to breaking and flat howls. Discriminant Function Analysis was applied to the recognised groups with the aim to find a general rule for classification. Howls with different features were correctly assigned to the groups obtained by explorative analysis in 95.8% of cases. The analysis of the variables characterising the structure of the howls suggests that maximum frequency and range of fundamental frequency are the most important parameters for classification, while duration does not appear to play any significant role.

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Wolf food habits and wild ungulate availability in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Italy

Cited by 86 publications

References 12 publications

The trophic ecology of wolves and their predatory role in ungulate communities of forest ecosystems in Europe

The trophic ecology of wolves and their predatory role in ungulate communities of forest ecosystems in Europe

Ranging behaviour of translocated roe deer in a Mediterranean habitat: seasonal and altitudinal influences on home range size and patterns of range use

The Acoustic Structure of Wolf Howls in Some Eastern Tuscany (Central Italy) Free Ranging Packs

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