Forest edge creates small-scale variation in reproductive rate of sika deer

Habitat edges are considered to have an important role in determining the abundance of deer in forest landscapes, but to our knowledge there are few lines of evidence indicating that forest edge enhances the vital rate of deer. We examined pregnancy of female sika deer in Boso peninsula, central Japan, and explored how forest edges, food availability in forests, and local population density influence the pregnancy rate of sika deer. Local deer density was estimated by the number of fecal pellets, and food availability in forests was estimated by combining GIS data of vegetation distribution and the relationship between vegetation biomass and local deer density. Forest edge length was also determined by GIS data. Model selection was performed with multiple logistic regression analyses using the AIC to find the best model for accounting for the observed variation in pregnancy rates of the deer. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the length of forest edge had a positive effect on the pregnancy rate of females, whereas food availability in forests and local deer density had little effect. This forest edge effect was detected in a 100–200-m radius from deer captured locations, indicating that deer pregnancy is primarily determined by habitat quality within a 10-ha area. This result was confirmed by tracking females with GPS telemetry, which found that the core areas of the home range were less than 12 ha. The positive effect of edges and the lack of density dependence could be a result of high plant productivity in open environments that produces forages not depleted by high deer densities. Our results support the view that land management is the cause of the current problem of deer overabundance. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

江西桃红岭国家级自然保护区梅花鹿生境适宜性评价

华南梅花鹿(Cervus nippon)被IUCN列入濒危物种,也是我国国家Ⅰ级重点保护动物。目前种群仅分布于江西、浙江、安徽等狭窄的区域内,形成多个孤立种群,生境破碎和丧失被认为是限制梅花鹿种群增长的主要原因。于2011年3月至2013年3月采用样线法和样方法对桃红岭国家级自然保护区梅花鹿栖息地进行了野外调查,利用空间模拟方法,结合地理信息系统(GIS)技术的空间分析功能,以植被类型、坡度、坡向、海拔和人类干扰活动作为评价因子进行了生境适宜性评价。结果表明,桃红岭地区以森林为主,各类林地面积约9 488.15 hm~2,占75.90%,植被类型分为落叶阔叶林、针叶林、常绿阔叶林、针阔混交林、竹林、灌丛、草丛和芭茅丛,面积分别为1664.57、1638.63、3438.21、1247.15、87.85、1143.88、60.92 hm~2和206.94 hm~2。在不考虑人类活动影响时,梅花鹿的适宜生境和次适宜生境面积分别是2233.99 hm~2和2980.24 hm~2,分别占保护区总面积的18.61%和24.83%;而考虑人类活动影响时,梅花鹿的适宜生境和次适宜生境面积分别是1224.04 hm~2和2164.70 hm~2,分别占保护区总面积的10.20%和18.04%。由于梅花鹿的生境受到居民点、主要道路、农田耕作、森林采伐等人类活动的强烈影响,导致大量适宜和次适宜生境丧失、隔离,景观破碎度指数由0.4345增加到0.5898。以潜在可利用生境面积计算,保护区梅花鹿环境容纳量为(568±160)只,而以实际可利用生境面积计算,则只能容纳(368±105)只。适宜生境的丧失和破碎可能是限制桃红岭梅花鹿国家级自然保护区梅花鹿种群恢复的重要因素,在此基础上,通过实际调查提出了管理措施。     

Benefit of migration in a female sika deer population in eastern Hokkaido,Japan

The major factors affecting migration in large herbivores have been shown to be access to food resources and the risk of predation. Three migratory types of deer (resident, north migrant and east migrant) occur within a wintering female sika deer (Cervus nippon) population in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. We tested the hypothesis that north and east migrants feed on a higher quality diet than residents during summer, based on analyses of fecal nitrogen content. Fresh fecal pellets were collected in 18 summer ranges in the wintering area, northern area and eastern area between 1–5 August 2000. Fecal nitrogen content for all sampling sites was positively correlated with elevation, but was not correlated with distance from the wintering area. North migrants that inhabited higher (above 300m elevation) summer ranges fed on a higher quality diet than residents. In contrast, the dietary quality of east migrants that migrated over a long distance and inhabited lower (below 300m elevation) summer ranges was similar to that of residents. We conclude that east migrants may have gained significant benefit from the use of agricultural pastures with low population density conditions and without hunting; however, the recent population control program has reduced this benefit by avoiding the use of pasturelands.     

完达山林区森林采伐和非采伐区马鹿、狍子对冬季生境因子选择的比较

2003—2005年的冬季,在黑龙江省完达山地区的五泡林场,通过样线调查,利用逐步判别分析的方法,对冬季马鹿和狍子在森林采伐区和非采伐区生境选择的差异进行了比较研究,其结果表明,在该地区虽然两物种在生境选择上发生部分重叠,但在生境利用方式上均存在显著差异在采伐区马鹿主要利用中坡位或上坡位、半阴半阳或阳坡、人为干扰距离大于1000m、海拔相对较高、食物丰富度较高、乔木胸径较小、灌木密度较高的灌丛或杂木林生境;狍子主要利用中坡位或下坡位、阳坡、海拔相对较低、食物丰富度适中、乔木胸径较大、灌木密度较低、人为干扰距离要求不严格的杂木林或柞树林生境。在非采伐区,马鹿主要选择距人为干扰大于1000m、海拔较高、食物丰富度较高、乔木胸径较小的杂木林生境;狍子主要选择中坡位或下坡位、人为干扰距离要求不严格、海拔较低、食物丰富度较适中和乔木胸径较大的杂木林或杨-桦混交林生境。     

Edge effects created by clear-cutting on habitat use by sika deer on Mt. Goyo,northern Honshu,Japan

Clear-cutting increased the species diversity and amount of undergrowth plants in a habitat of Sika deer (Cervus nippon) on Mt. Goyo, northern Japan. The number of species increased from 15 to 48 as a result of clear-cutting. Among the plants,Sasa nipponica (a dwarf bamboo), an important forage plant for Sika deer, was predominant. Fecal pellets of deer were abundant in the forest and at the “adjacent zone” (from the edge to 150 m out of the forest) and thereafter decreased suddenly. The intensity of utilization ofSasa nipponica was also heavy in the forest, moderate at the adjacent zone and light 200 m from the forest edge. Since the amount of the bamboo in the forest was small, the removal of bamboo was greatest at the adjacent zone. Clear-cutting creates a favorable feeding area for Sika deer in this zone by increasing the available plant production and securing forest cover.     

Influence of Landscape Composition and Structure on Antler Size of White-Tailed Deer

Abstract: Cause for spatial variation in phenotypic quality of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations is of great interest to wildlife managers. Relating phenotypic variation of populations to large-scale land-use patterns may provide insight into why populations exhibit spatial variation and elucidate how management can influence population phenotype. We used an information-theoretic approach to relate average antler size of 203 deer populations to composition and structure of the habitat occupied by those populations. We used interspersion, edge, and diversity indices to represent habitat structure and percentage of area in vegetation types to represent habitat composition. Landscape composition was a better predictor of deer population antler size than was landscape structure. Percentages of the management unit in agriculture, pasture, and pine forest were variables commonly found in the region-specific set of best models. Model-averaged estimates of agriculture and pasture parameters were always positive and estimates of pine forest parameters were always negative, which suggests that land-use types that promote growth of early successional herbaceous plants will positively influence antler size and, most likely, body growth and reproduction of white-tailed deer populations. Conversely, our findings suggest landscapes dominated by pine forests did not provide optimal amounts of quality forages for white-tailed deer. Pine forest effects should be mitigated using a combination of increased harvest to lower deer density and silvicultural practices like thinning, prescribed burning, and selective herbicide applications that stimulate growth of high-quality forages beneath the forest canopy to improve deer phenotypic quality.     

Species traits and the response of open‐habitat species to forest edge in landscape mosaics

Human driven changes in land‐use have increased the need to understand how landscape structure affects species distribution. We studied how forest edges affected the distribution of birds in grasslands recently encroached by forest patches. We investigated how species’ biological traits influenced their response to vegetation change near forest edges. We censured birds along 300‐m line transects run into the open habitat perpendicularly to forest edges. We recorded habitat variables and landscape context along each transect and characterized edges and forest patches. We recorded 33 bird species in 153 transects for a total of 654 individuals. We analyzed species response to edges with generalized linear mixed models. Habitat preference was prevalent to explain species response to forest edges. The abundance of open‐habitat birds such as skylark Alauda arvensis decreased significantly in the vicinity of edges. This negative response extended within 150 m from the edge. The effect was disproportionately higher in open‐habitat species with high conservation concern. The abundance of species feeding or/and breeding in both forest and open habitat, such as woodlarks Lullula arborea, sharply increased near edges (positive edge response). Abundance of shrub and non‐shrub dependent species increased with distance to edge. The two species groups did no differ in abundance/distance to edge relationship. Intensity of species response to forest edges varied among transects in relation to transect vegetation characteristics. Edge length or aspect, diet and nest height had no direct effect. We discuss the possible role of variation in resources and nest predation risk to explain observed patterns.     

Applying a continua landscape approach to evaluate plant response to fragmentation: Primula vulgaris in the Cantabrian mountains

Question: Continua landscape approaches conceptualize the effects of habitat fragmentation on the biota by considering fragmented landscapes as continuous gradients, departing from the view of habitat as either suitable (fragment) or unsuitable (matrix). They also consider the ecological gradients or the ‘Umwelt’ (species‐specific perception of the landscape) to represent the processes that ultimately limit organisms' ability to colonize and persist within habitat remnants. Are these approaches suitable for evaluating the response of plant species to fragmentation? Location: Fragmented mid‐elevation temperate forests, Cantabrian range, Spain. Methods: The presence, abundance and demographic structure of populations of the perennial herb Primula vulgaris were sampled across a continuous extent of 100 ha, subdivided into 400 50 m × 50 m sampling units. These variables were related to forest availability, forest subdivision and edge density, topography and the spatial clumpiness of populations (a measure of plant dispersal constraints and, hence, a major surrogate of plant Umwelt). Results: Fragmentation processes, especially habitat loss, negatively affect P. vulgaris, with a stronger effect on presence than on abundance and demography. Despite the importance of habitat availability, P. vulgaris does not occupy all potentially suitable forest habitat, mostly owing to dispersal constraints. A positive effect of slope on plant presence also suggests some effect of habitat quality in determining establishment and occupancy of forest landscape. Conclusions: Within‐habitat dispersal constraints are as important as forest fragmentation in determining the landscape‐scale distribution of P. vulgaris. By assessing the relative role of the diverse fragmentation processes, and of the species' landscape perception, a continua landscape approach proves to be a valuable tool for predicting plant response to landscape change.     

Relationship between a high density of sika deer and productivity of the short-grass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zoysia japonica</Emphasis>) community: a case study on Kinkazan Island,northern Japan

An extremely high-density (ca. 800 deer km^–2) wild sika deer population uses a short-grass community dominated by Zoysia japonica on Kinkazan Island in northeastern Japan. To explain why the density of wild deer is quite high on the Zoysia community, (1) we quantified the seasonal productivity of the Zoysia community, (2) we compared food availabilities among the plant communities, and (3) we described the habitat selection by the deer in different seasons. Food availability was greater on the Zoysia community than in the forest understory from spring to fall. The productivity of the Zoysia community was high enough to support the actual high density of the deer (814 deer km^–2) in summer. However, the productivity markedly decreased in winter, when the deer density decreased to less than half (358 deer km^–2) of the summer value. In contrast, the deer density of the adjacent forests was highest in winter (154 deer km^–2) and lowest in spring (19 deer km^–2). These results suggest that the deer using the Zoysia community in summer left and were absorbed into the adjacent forest in winter. If such an adjacent community were absent, many deer would not survive, and consequently the deer density on the Zoysia community in summer would not be so high. This intercommunity movement is particularly important for the deer using a plant community like the Zoysia community, which is highly productive but has a small standing biomass.     

用距离取样技术估算森林生境中的梅花鹿密度

作者于 1999年 9、 10月在日本国日光国立公园的一个梅花鹿 (Cervusnippon)高密度区域实施了 16次夜间探照样带距离法取样调查。采用车载探照记数和激光测距仪测距 ,记录了梅花鹿的结群大小和距样带中心样线的垂直距离。应用距离取样技术 (Distancesamplingtechnique ,DST)计算的结果表明 ,梅花鹿的密度为12 5 8头 /km2 (95%CI 10 0 7-157 3 ) ,在两侧 80m宽度的调查样带内梅花鹿的总发现率为 52 5% ;对线样带法的传统动物密度计算方法 (King s ,Hayne s ,Leopold s ,Gates sⅠ ,Gates sⅡ ,Gates sⅢ和Frye s方法 )的结果验证表明 ,这些传统密度计算方法过高估算梅花鹿的密度 ,其结果为距离取样技术 (DST)计算结果的 1 76(Frye′s法 ) -6 10 (Hayne′s法 )倍。因此 ,作者建议在使用线样带法测定动物密度时应尽量避免使用这些传统计算方法 ;不同地区间及同一地区不同季节间应用线样带法调查得到的动物个体记数值之间的比较存在偏差 ,应该使用距离取样技术计算动物的密度     

Characteristics of Sasa nipponica grassland as a summer forage resource for sika deer on Mt Ohdaigahara, central Japan

Recently, the sika deer, Cervus nippon Temminck, population has increased on Mt Ohdaigahara, central Japan. The dwarf bamboo, Sasa nipponica Makino et Shibata, is a primary forage plant for sika deer in this area. To demonstrate the characteristics of S. nipponica grassland, especially as summer forage for sika deer, the habitat use intensity of sika deer was estimated by fecal densities, and biomass, growth rate, removal by deer and crude protein content were examined. Sika deer utilized the S.nipponica grassland on Mt Ohdaigahara during summer when the biomass, growth rate and crude protein content of S. nipponica were high. The recent increase in the deer population seems to be partly due to S.nipponica grassland being a favorable summer habitat.     

Condition of mule deer during winter: stress and spatial overlap with North American elk

We assessed body condition, diet quality (indexed by fecal nitrogen), and stress levels (using fecal glucocorticoid metabolites) in mule deer Odocoileus hemionus in southeastern Idaho, USA, during a mild (2007) and a harsh winter (2008) to evaluate spatial overlap and potential competition with North American elk Cervus elaphus. We used data from GPS telemetry to construct spatially explicit maps of local population density of elk for January–April. Loss of body condition over winter in yearling and adult female mule deer was not related to elk density but to winter severity. Fecal nitrogen increased as winter progressed in both winters, was significantly lower during 2008 than in 2007, but was not related to local population density of elk. In the mild winter of 2007, a significant positive relationship existed between local population density of elk and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of mule deer, indicating increased physiological stress among mule deer wintering in close proximity to elk. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in deer were lower in 2008 than in 2007 and exhibited no significant relationship with elk density. Declining fecal glucocorticoid levels through winter may be typical of northern cervids. No difference existed in levels of fecal glucocorticoids between sexes of deer. A reduction in elk populations may not improve diet quality, physiological stress levels, or body condition of mule deer on winter range, especially during severe winters. Consequently, management and conservation of winter habitat are more likely to benefit mule deer than would altering density of elk.     

Demographic variation in cycad populations inhabiting contrasting forest fragments

Reduced habitat quality after fragmentation can significantly affect population viability, but the effects of differing quality of the remaining habitat on population fitness are rarely evaluated. Here, I compared fragmented populations of the cycad Zamia melanorrhachis from habitats with different history and subject to contrasting levels of disturbance to explore potential demographic differences in populations across habitat patches that could differ in habitat quality. Secondary-forest fragments had a lower canopy cover and soil moisture than remnant-forest fragments, which may represent a harsh environment for this cycad. A smaller average plant size and lower population density in the secondary-forest fragments support the hypothesis that these fragments may be of lower quality, e.g., if plants have reduced survival and/or fecundity in these habitats. However, variation in the stage-structure of populations (i.e., the relative proportions of non-reproductive and reproductive plants) was associated with the area of the forest fragments rather than the type of habitat (remnant versus secondary forest). These results suggest that different demographic parameters may respond differently to habitat fragmentation, which may be explained if processes like adult survival and recruitment depend on different characteristics of the habitat, e.g., average light/water availability versus suitable area for plant establishment. This study shows that forest fragments may differ drastically in environmental conditions and can sustain populations that can vary in their demography. Understanding how forest fragments may represent different habitat types is relevant for evaluating population viability in a heterogeneous landscape and for designing conservation programs that account for this heterogeneity.     

Habitat suitability assessment of Sichuan sika deer in Tiebu Nature Reserve during periods of green and dry grass

Habitat suitability assessment is an essential and dynamic research method for determining and evaluating the environmental pressures faced by wildlife. From March to November 2011, we investigated the quality of habitat available to Sichuan sika deer (Cervus nippon sichuanicus) in Tiebu Nature Reserve, Ruoergai County, Sichuan Province, China. A habitat evaluation model established by the fuzzy assignment quadrature method was used to assess habitat suitability for Sichuan sika deer within the reserve by using the GIS spatial analysis function. The results showed that the area of actual available habitat was 220.8 km² during the wet season and 213.2 km² during the dry season, accounting for 80.8% and 78.02% of the total nature reserve area, respectively. The area of suitable habitat for Sichuan sika deer was much lower, 128.01 km² during the wet season and 109.17 km² during the dry season, accounting for 46.84% and 39.95% of the total nature reserve area respectively. The difference between available and suitable habitat is likely due to potentially good habitat having been lost as a result of human disturbance. Lost habitat makes up 4.55% of the total area while grass is green and 5.52% while grass is dry. Human disturbance levels in the form of roads and residential areas were constant throughout the year, but grazing by domestic animals had a higher impact during the dry season. Habitat suitability during this time, already reduced by the withering of the grass, was thus further reduced by the grazing of livestock.     

Spatial Niche Partitioning in Sub-Tropical Solitary Ungulates: Four-Horned Antelope and Barking Deer in Nepal

Differential resource use allows a diversity of species to co-exist in a particular area by specializing in individual ecological niches. Four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has a restricted distribution in Nepal and India; however, the barking deer Muntiacus vaginalis is relatively common throughout its wide distribution range. We wanted a better understanding of their habitats and how these two similarly sized solitary ungulates manage to coexist in lowland Nepal. We used fecal pellet belt transect surveys in the Babai valley, Bardia National Park to study the habitat associations of both species. We found empirical evidence that four-horned antelope prefer hill sal forest and deciduous hill forest at higher elevations, whereas barking deer preferred riverine and sal forest in lower elevations. We found a clear niche differentiation of four-horned antelope and barking deer that made the coexistence of these similarly sized solitary ungulates possible. Hence, resource partitioning is the key to coexistence of these solitary ungulates, and the fine-grained habitat mosaic of different forest types in the study landscape appears to be the underlying feature. Therefore, maintaining the habitat mosaic and preserving valuable hill sal and deciduous hill forests will facilitate the coexistence of herbivores in sub-tropical regions.     

江西桃红岭自然保护区夏季梅花鹿对生境的选择性

2005年6-8月在江西桃红岭自然保护区对夏季梅花鹿的生境选择性进行了初步研究。结果表明：梅花鹿选择灌丛和灌草丛、郁闭度较低、灌木盖度较小、食物丰富度高、阴坡、中上坡位、坡度平缓、水源距离在100-400m、人为干扰距离〉800m和海拔高度〉300m的环境;对郁闭度〉80％和水源距离≤100m的环境表现为随机选择。     

Relationships between wild ungulates density and crop damage in Hungary

Game damage to agriculture represents one of the most important and most frequent human?Cwildlife conflicts worldwide. In Hungary and in the other European countries, damage caused by wild boar (Sus scrofa) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) is the most significant. The volume of damage is correlated with the population density of the game species, however, not exclusively. Since the growing expansion of wild ungulates is a general tendency in Europe, increasing conflicts can be envisaged. The objective of our study was to assess the possible relationships between the amount of agricultural game damage and big game population density considering some other factors (e.g. habitat structure, sown area of cultivated plants) by analysing wildlife management and land-use statistics for the 19 counties of Hungary from 1997 to 2008. According to the results, crop damage positively correlated with the population density of red deer and wild boar, with the length of forest edge, and the proportion of the sown area of maize. According to the regression model, these factors could be accountable for 74.2?% of the total agricultural game damage.     

Landscape fragmentation influences winter body mass of roe deer

Body size of large herbivores is a crucial life history variable influencing individual fitness‐related traits. While the importance of this parameter in determining temporal trends in population dynamics is well established, much less information is available on spatial variation in body size at a local infra‐population scale. The relatively recent increase in landscape fragmentation over the last century has lead to substantial spatial heterogeneity in habitat quality across much of the modern agricultural landscape. In this paper, we analyse variation in body mass and size of roe deer inhabiting a heterogeneous agricultural landscape characterised by a variable degree of woodland fragmentation. We predicted that body mass should vary in relation to the degree of access to cultivated meadows and crops providing high quality diet supplements. In support of our prediction, roe deer body mass increased along a gradient of habitat fragmentation, with the heaviest deer occurring in the most open sectors and the lightest in the strict forest environment. These spatial differences were particularly pronounced for juveniles, reaching >3 kg (ca 20% of total body mass) between the two extremes of this gradient, and likely have a marked impact on individual fates. We also found that levels of both nitrogen and phosphorous were higher in deer faecal samples in the more open sectors compared to the forest environment, suggesting that the spatial patterns in body mass could be linked to the availability of high quality feeding habitat provided by the cultivated agricultural plain. Finally, we found that adults in the forest sector were ca 1 kg lighter for a given body size than their counterparts in the more open sectors, suggesting that access to nutrient rich foods allowed deer to accumulate substantial fat reserves, which is unusual for roe deer, with likely knock‐on effects for demographic traits and, hence, population dynamics.     

Sika deer distribution and habitat selection: the influence of the availability and distribution of food, cover, and threats

Large populations of sika deer occur in lowland heath, woodland, and grassland mosaics in southern England. Previous studies have focused on understanding single factors potentially affecting distribution and habitat selection of sika deer rather than considering simultaneously effects of landscape configuration and human disturbance on their distribution and habitat selection. This study measured effects of habitat availability, landscape structure, and human disturbance on where sika deer placed their home ranges and habitat selection within those ranges. Two main hypotheses were tested: (1) habitat selection differs according to landscape structure and habitat availability at both landscape and home range scales and (2) distribution of sources of human disturbance within the home range of deer affects their distribution. Results from radiotracking 31 females provided support for the first hypothesis and partial support for the second. Habitat selection at the landscape and home range scales differed between landscapes with different habitat structure and availability and was driven by distribution and availability of food and cover and a perceived risk linked to disturbance. Furthermore, deer selected open areas close to cover and this selection was stronger with presence of human disturbance, although results differed between study areas with different habitat distribution and level of disturbance. The study highlights the importance for managing deer of a balance between grazing and cover resources and the distribution of human disturbance.