Wolves in the Casentinesi Forests: insights for wolf conservation in Italy from a protected area with a rich wild prey community

Apollonio, Marco; Mattioli, Luca; Scandura, Massimo; Mauri, Lorenza; Gazzola, Andrea; Avanzinelli, Elisa

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.021

Cited by 59 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The area harbours an abundant and diverse community of wild ungulates, comprising wild boar Sus scrofa, roe deer Capreolus capreolus, red deer Cervus elaphus, fallow deer Dama dama, and mouflon Ovis orientalis musimon. Here wolves are thought to have never disappeared (Cagnolaro et al 1974) and since the early 1980s they have rapidly spread, from the national park (Apollonio et al 2004), where they have profited from a rich community of wild ungulates (Mattioli et al 1995. By 1998, several packs had occupied all major mountains as well as several surrounding hilly areas.…”

Section: Study Area and Wolf Populationmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Fine-scale genetic structure suggests low levels of short-range gene flow in a wolf population of the Italian Apennines

et al. 2011

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International audienceWe investigated local gene flow in a high-density wolf () population of the Italian Apennines, where no effective barrier to wolf dispersal was present. From 1998 to 2004 we examined wolf carcasses and non-invasively collected samples, focusing on three mountain districts, separated by two valleys, where wolf packs showed high spatial stability. Using nine autosomal microsatellites we successfully genotyped 177 samples, achieving the identification of 74 wolves. Genetic relatedness steeply decreased with increasing distance between sampling areas, thus suggesting that short-distance interpack migration is infrequent in this population. In addition, no individual from a central pack under intensive monitoring was sampled in the range of the surrounding packs over a 4-year period. The limited short-distance gene flow resulted in a cryptic genetic structure, which was revealed by Bayesian analysis. A different genetic cluster was found in each of the three mountain areas, and a small proportion of first-generation immigrants was detected. Overall, the present study suggests that local genetic differentiation in Italian wolves might arise from high spatial stability of packs and can be favoured by a combination of long-range dispersal, the attitude to mate between unrelated individuals and a high young mortality rate

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Section: Study Area and Wolf Populationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Wolves have rapidly recovered in the area during the last 20 years and by the early 2000s it appeared to have been settled by a number of close packs (Apollonio et al 2004;Capitani et al 2006). In the area, there is no significant barrier to wolf dispersal and human induced mortality is suspected to be high (Capitani 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Fine-scale genetic structure suggests low levels of short-range gene flow in a wolf population of the Italian Apennines

et al. 2011

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“…This is the same area that was referred to as the intensive study area in previous papers on wolf feeding ecology by Mattioli et al (1995) and Mattioli et al (2004), and it is comprised within the wider wolf-monitoring area (308 km 2 ) described by Apollonio et al (2004). The area can be divided into two portions along the elevation range.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 97%

Prey selection and dietary response by wolves in a high-density multi-species ungulate community

Mattioli¹,

Capitani

Gazzola

et al. 2011

Eur J Wildl Res

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Studies on predation by the wolf (Canis lupus) have often reported contradictory results about the role of prey density and vulnerability on wolf prey use. We investigated dietary response and prey selection by wolves in a high-density and multi-species ungulate community, analysing scats collected over a period of 11 years in the Casentinesi Forests, Italy. The second most abundant species, wild boar (Sus scrofa), was found to be the main wolf prey, and we did not observe any dietary response of wolves to variations in the density of either primary or secondary prey species. Selection patterns were uniform throughout the study period. Wolves strongly selected for wild boar piglets, while roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) fawns and adults, red deer (Cervus elaphus) adults and fallow deer (Dama dama) adults were avoided. Wolf preference for wild boar was inversely density dependent. Within each species, juveniles were preferred to adults. Medium-sized, young individuals of both wild boar and roe deer were optimal prey, although with different selection patterns related to the different anti-predator strategies adopted by each prey species. The results of this study suggest that in productive ecosystems with high density and high renewal rates of prey, selection patterns by wolves are determined by prey vulnerability, which is connected to prey age and body size. The different patterns of wild boar versus cervids use by wolf across Europe seems to be related to their relative abundances, while the strong selection of wild boar in Italian Apennines with respect to the more frequent avoidance in central-eastern Europe is better explained by higher piglet productivity and smaller body size of adults boar in Mediterranean temperate forests.

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“…The spatial distribution and reproductive success of wolf packs were monitored from 1998 by means of wolf howling, snow tracking, and molecular analysis in the whole province of Arezzo (Scandura et al 2001;Gazzola et al 2002;Apollonio et al 2004b;Scandura 2005;Capitani et al 2006;Scandura et al 2006). During the field study period (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008), the number of wolf packs ranged from 7 to 11, while the pack size ranged from 2 to 8 individuals.…”

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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Wolves in the Casentinesi Forests: insights for wolf conservation in Italy from a protected area with a rich wild prey community

Cited by 59 publications

References 35 publications

Fine-scale genetic structure suggests low levels of short-range gene flow in a wolf population of the Italian Apennines

Fine-scale genetic structure suggests low levels of short-range gene flow in a wolf population of the Italian Apennines

Prey selection and dietary response by wolves in a high-density multi-species ungulate community

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

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