Phylogeography and founder effect of the endangered Corsican red deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cervus elaphus corsicanus</Emphasis>)

Red deer (n = 149) from eight geographical locations, including the endangered endemic populations from the Tyrrhenian islands (Sardinia and Corsica), were analysed at eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. Two questions were addressed: (1) Is there a founder effect in the Corsican population, which was reintroduced to the island using Sardinian deer after the species’ extinction on Corsica? (2) What is the origin of the Tyrrhenian or Corsican red deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus)? Our results showed signs of a founder effect for the red deer on Corsica in that these deer showed differentiation from the Sardinian population as measured by F_ST values, assignment tests (with and without a priori definition of populations) and individual-based dendrograms. Genetic variability, however, did not differ significantly between the two populations. With respect to the phylogeography of C. e. corsicanus we found that both deer from North-Africa and Mesola on the Italian mainland were genetically close to the Corsican red deer, but phylogenetic trees based on genetic distances were only poorly supported statistically. Among all populations studied the Mesola red deer showed the lowest distance values from Corsican red deer and yielded allele frequencies that were more similar to those of C. e. corsicanus than were those of North-African red deer. These results are in line with recent palaeontological and archaeozoological findings which suggest that the Corsican red deer is derived from small Italian red deer introduced from the mainland to Sardinia and Corsica during the Late Neolithic and just before the beginning of Classical Antiquity, respectively. They also suggest a possible recent introduction of Tyrrhenian red deer to North-Africa (rather than the other way around), thus accounting for the close genetic relationship (especially based on mitochondrial DNA) that has repeatedly been found between C. e. corsicanus and C. e. barbarus.     

Conservation biogeography of large Mediterranean islands. Butterfly impoverishment, conservation priorities and inferences for an ecologica "island paradigm"

Conservation biogeography is considered the Cinderella of biological conservation. Nevertheless biogeography provides the basis for establishing species distributions over space and time, therefore conservation priorities among areas and individual species. We demonstrate that there is no need to simplify analyses by using subsets of species (rare species, endemics) as surrogates. In doing so, we apply strict biogeographical techniques to determine butterfly impoverishment on three of the west Mediterranean's largest islands (Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily). The analyses performed on species, both collectively and individually, reveal that regional species richness in the Mediterranean zone can be largely predicted by latitude, altitude and latitudinal range (maximum minus minimum latitude), but that Sardinia and Corsica have clearly impoverished faunas. Logistic regression at individual species level demonstrates that several species, predicted to be present in these islands on the basis of their continental distributions, are actually absent. When compared with species that are present in these islands, such missing species are disclosed as having ecological traits which reduce their colonization capability. Probabilities of occurrence are calculated for each species on each island; they reflect the potential for each butterfly species to migrate to and colonise each island, and can be considered as a measure of conservation value. As such, species present on islands but having low immigration probabilities are predicted to represent isolated populations from the mainland that are unlikely to re-colonize the islands in the case of extinction. Island endemic species and races are shown to have lower occurrence probabilities compared to widespread species occurring on islands and illustrate the usefulness of occurrence probabilities for identifying isolated populations in need of conservation attention.     

Predicting distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zygaena</Emphasis> moths on West Mediterranean islands. Implications for biogeography and conservation (Lepidoptera Zygaenidae)

In this paper a conservation biogeography approach has been applied to predict distribution and conservation priorities in West Mediterranean Zygaena moths. The presence/absence matrix data for mainland region and for the three largest islands (Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily) has been analyzed. The analyses have been performed on individual species and revealed that species distribution in the Mediterranean mainland can be largely predicted. However, Sardinia and Corsica islands showed highly impoverished faunas while Sicily did not revealed a lower richness than predicted. Logistic regressions at individual species level showed that several taxa, predicted to be present in Sardinia and Corsica are actually absent. For Sicily the opposite trend was obtained and several unpredicted species actually occur on this island. Conversely to butterflies, ecological traits did not differ between predicted and unpredicted Sicilian species, suggesting that ancient and stochastic colonisations are responsible for the occurrence of several species. Due to the very low probabilities that relict populations could re-colonize islands following possible extinctions, they are suggested to deserve particular conservation efforts. In particular, Z. orana from Sardinia, Z. corsica from Corsica and Z. trifolii, Z. purpuralis and Z. carniolica from Sicily showed distinctive biogeographic patterns and/or particular rarity.     

The Effects of Climate Change on the Long-Term Conservation of Fagus grandifolia var. mexicana, an Important Species of the Cloud Forest in Eastern Mexico

We examined the effects of climate change on the future conservation and distribution patterns of the cloud forests in eastern Mexico, by using as a species model to Fagus grandifolia Ehr. var. mexicana (Martínez) Little which is mainly located in this vegetation type, at the Sierra Madre Oriental. This species was selected because it is restricted to the cloud forest, where it is a dominant element and has not been considered for protection in any national or international law. It is probably threatened due to the fact that it plays an important social role as a source of food and furnishing. We used a floristic database and a bioclimatic modeling approach including 19 climatic parameters, in order to obtain the current potential distribution pattern of the species. Currently, its potential distribution pattern shows that it is distributed in six different Mexican Priority Regions for Conservation. In addition, we also selected a future climate scenario, on the basis of some climate changes predictions already proposed. The scenario proposed is characterized by +2 °C and −20% rainfall in the region. Under this predicted climatic condition, we found a drastic distribution contraction of the species, in which most of the remaining populations will inhabit restricted areas located outside the boundaries of the surrounding reserves. Consequently, our results highlight the importance of considering the effects of possible future climate changes on the selection of conservation areas and the urgency to conserve some remaining patches of existing cloud forests. Accordingly, we believe that our bioclimatic modeling approach represents a useful tool to undertake decisions concerning the definition of protected areas, once the current potential distribution pattern of some selected species is known.     

Country,Cover or Protection: What Shapes the Distribution of Red Deer and Roe Deer in the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem?

The Bohemian Forest Ecosystem encompasses various wildlife management systems. Two large, contiguous national parks (one in Germany and one in the Czech Republic) form the centre of the area, are surrounded by private hunting grounds, and hunting regulations in each country differ. Here we aimed at unravelling the influence of management-related and environmental factors on the distribution of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in this ecosystem. We used the standing crop method based on counts of pellet groups, with point counts every 100 m along 218 randomly distributed transects. Our analysis, which accounted for overdispersion as well as zero inflation and spatial autocorrelation, corroborated the view that both human management and the physical and biological environment drive ungulate distribution in mountainous areas in Central Europe. In contrast to our expectations, protection by national parks was the least important variable for red deer and the third important out of four variables for roe deer; protection negatively influenced roe deer distribution in both parks and positively influenced red deer distribution in Germany. Country was the most influential variable for both red and roe deer, with higher counts of pellet groups in the Czech Republic than in Germany. Elevation, which indicates increasing environmental harshness, was the second most important variable for both species. Forest cover was the least important variable for roe deer and the third important variable for red deer; the relationship for roe deer was positive and linear, and optimal forest cover for red deer was about 70% within a 500 m radius. Our results have direct implications for the future conservation management of deer in protected areas in Central Europe and show in particular that large non-intervention zones may not cause agglomerations of deer that could lead to conflicts along the border of protected, mountainous areas.     

Macrogeographic variations in food choice of mainland citril finches Carduelis [citrinella] citrinella versus insular Corsican (citril) finches Carduelis [citrinella] corsicanus

We studied variations in diet composition in sub-populations of mainland citril finches Carduelis [citrinella] citrinella in European mountain chains, compared to closely related insular Corsican (citril) finches Carduelis [citrinella] corsicanus on several Mediterranean Islands with a special emphasis on key food plants used during the breeding period. We found that citril finch sub-populations of the Pre-Pyrenees and the Black Forest rely mostly on mountain pine and dandelion seeds as main food resources during the breeding season. In contrast, insular Corsican finches on the Mediterranean islands of Capraia and Corsica fed mainly on various herb species. Finches in Corsica fed predominantly on shepherd’s purse, while birds from Capraia were choosing rosemary as their main food plant during the breeding period. These observations confirmed the previously expected difference in food choice between the two forms due to the observed increased niche breadth on Corsica. However, Corsican finches on Sardinia showed a food choice more similar to that of the citril finch populations, in that they fed predominantly on black pine seeds during breeding season. Thus we were not able to find clear behavioural differences in diet composition between all studied sub-populations of citril and Corsican finches. To conclude, food choice of both forms is highly adaptive and, in the different breeding areas, distinct key plants may be of special importance during the breeding season. The preference for these plants is likely to be linked to their abundance and their energetic and nutritional content.     

自然保护地保护成效评估: 进展与展望

自然保护地(protected areas)保护成效是指自然保护地对主要保护对象的保护效果, 及其在维持生物多样性和保障生态系统服务功能等方面的综合成效。近年来自然保护地保护成效评估逐渐成为国内外的研究热点之一。 本文分别从不同空间尺度、评估对象、评估方法以及评估指标等方面综述了相关的研究进展。总体来看, 近年来的研究已基本覆盖了全球、区域、国家和单个自然保护地等不同尺度, 针对森林、湿地、草地和荒漠等代表性生态系统以及野生动植物等主要保护对象进行了评估, 发展了“matching”技术等更为有效的分析方法, 探索了系统的自然保护地保护成效评估指标体系, 并应用一些指标进行了保护成效的案例研究。自然保护区(nature reserve)是我国自然保护地的主体, 近年来我国自然保护区相关管理部门也相继开展了保护成效评估工作, 建议未来进一步加强自然保护区网络尺度和各类型自然保护区的保护成效评估研究, 将自然保护区保护成效评估与管理评估相结合, 研究自然保护区保护成效面临的新问题和潜在影响, 为提升我国自然保护区管理质量提供科学依据。     

Patterns of Lynx Predation at the Interface between Protected Areas and Multi-Use Landscapes in Central Europe

In Central Europe, protected areas are too small to ensure survival of populations of large carnivores. In the surrounding areas, these species are often persecuted due to competition with game hunters. Therefore, understanding how predation intensity varies spatio-temporally across areas with different levels of protection is fundamental. We investigated the predation patterns of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) in both protected areas and multi-use landscapes of the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem. Based on 359 roe and red deer killed by 10 GPS-collared lynx, we calculated the species-specific annual kill rates and tested for effects of season and lynx age, sex and reproductive status. Because roe and red deer in the study area concentrate in unprotected lowlands during winter, we modeled spatial distribution of kills separately for summer and winter and calculated-the probability of a deer killed by lynx and-the expected number of kills for areas with different levels of protection. Significantly more roe deer (46.05–74.71/year/individual lynx) were killed than red deer (1.57–9.63/year/individual lynx), more deer were killed in winter than in summer, and lynx family groups had higher annual kill rates than adult male, single adult female and subadult female lynx. In winter the probability of a deer killed and the expected number of kills were higher outside the most protected part of the study area than inside; in summer, this probability did not differ between areas, and the expected number of kills was slightly larger inside than outside the most protected part of the study area. This indicates that the intensity of lynx predation in the unprotected part of the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem increases in winter, thus mitigation of conflicts in these areas should be included as a priority in the lynx conservation strategy.     

Conservation “identity” and marine protected areas management: A Mediterranean case study

Protection of natural environments sought through management plans varies greatly between countries; characterizing these differences and what motivates them can inform future regional and international conservation efforts. This research builds on previous work addressing the spatial distribution of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Particularly, it examines the relationship between a “protection level” (PL) score and a set of variables pertaining to each country's conservation efforts, economic conditions and human impact along the coast using regression analysis. Four sets of models demonstrated country characteristics that correlate with higher protection levels within marine protected areas (MPAs). Certain contextual factors – economic dependence on the marine environment, efforts at terrestrial conservation and greater human impact – were found to be significantly associated with higher PLs among the northern littoral countries of the Mediterranean. Such findings can inform policy makers about where efforts and investments should be directed for marine conservation.     

Satyrinae butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica show a kaleidoscopic intraspecific biogeography (Lepidoptera,Nymphlidae)

The Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica are known for their multitude of endemics. Butterflies in particular have received much attention. However, no comprehensive studies aiming to compare populations of butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica with those from the neighbouring mainland and Sicily have been carried out. In the present study, the eleven Satyrinae species inhabiting Sardinia and Corsica islands were examined and compared with continental and Sicilian populations by means of geometric morphometrics of male genitalia. Relative warp computation, discriminant analyses, hierarchical clustering, and cross‐validation tests were used to identify coherent distributional patterns including both islands and mainland populations. The eleven species showed multifaceted distributional patterns, although three main conclusions can be drawn: (1) populations from North Africa and Spain are generally different from those belonging to the Italian Peninsula; (2) populations from Sardinia and Sicily often resemble the North Africa/Spain ones; Corsica shows transitional populations similar to those from France; and (3) sea barriers represent filters to dispersal, although their efficacy appears to be unrelated to their extension. Indeed, the short sea straits between Sardinia and Corsica and between Sicily and the Italian Peninsula revealed a strong effectiveness with respect to preventing faunal exchanges; populations giving onto sea channels between Corsica and Northern Italy and between Sicily and Tunisia showed a higher similarity. A comparison of island and mainland distributions of the eleven taxa have helped to unravel the complex co‐occurrence of historical factors, refugial dynamics, and recent (post‐glacial) dispersal with respect to shaping the populations of Mediterranean island butterflies. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100 , 195–212.     

Genetic diversity and evolutionary history of the Tyrrhenian treefrog Hyla sarda (Anura: Hylidae): adding pieces to the puzzle of Corsica–Sardinia biota

The Corsica–Sardinia archipelago is a hotspot of Mediterranean biodiversity. Although tempo and mode of arrival of species to this archipelago and phylogenetic relationships with continental species have been investigated in many taxa, very little is known about the current genetic structure and evolutionary history subsequent to arrival. In the present study, we investigated genetic variation within and among populations of the Tyrrhenian treefrog Hyla sarda, a species endemic to the Corsica–Sardinia microplate and the surrounding islands, by means of allozyme electrophoresis. Low genetic divergence (mean D_nei = 0.01) and no appreciable differences in the levels and distribution of genetic variability (H_E: 0.06–0.09) were observed among all but one populations (Elba). Historical demographic and isolation‐by‐distance analyses indicated that this diffused genetic homogeneity could be the result of recent demographic expansion. Along with paleoenvironmental data, such expansion could have occurred during the last glacial phase, when wide and persistent land bridges connected the main islands and a widening of lowland areas occurred. This scenario is unprecedented among Corsica–Sardinia species. Together with the lack of concordance even among the few previously studied species, this suggests either that species had largely independent responses to paleoenvironmental changes, or that most of the history of assembly of the Corsica–Sardinia biota is yet to be written. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 103 , 159–167.     

基于最大熵模型的野生马麝夏季生境适宜性研究

野生马麝(Moschus chrysogaster)是珍稀濒危资源动物,分布于我国青藏高原及周边地区。甘肃兴隆山国家级自然保护区是野生马麝最重要的分布区之一,深入了解保护区的生境结构、质量及分布是对区域内野生马麝进行成功保护的前提和基础,但迄今缺乏大尺度的马麝生境适宜性研究。利用实地调查得到的兴隆山保护区的野生马麝夏季分布点数据,采用最大熵(MaxEnt)模型,结合地形、归一化植被指数、距河流距离、距道路距离等环境变量数据,进行野生马麝的夏季生境适宜性分析。结果表明：影响野生马麝夏季生境适宜性的主要生态因子是海拔、坡向、植被和河流,其贡献率分别达40.3%,23.4%,18.6%和10.9%;兴隆山保护区野生马麝的夏季潜在适宜生境分布面积为123.34 km²,占整个保护区的41.11%,占保护区林地的61.92%;野生马麝夏季潜在适宜生境主要集中在保护区的中部和西部,其中高适宜性生境约为保护区的4.47%,各适宜区间及适宜区之内均存在一定程度的不连续分布。为加强对兴隆山保护区野生马麝种群及生境的就地保护,建议通过生境保育措施,提高野生马麝潜在分布区的生境适宜性,...     

Spatial and temporal deforestation dynamics in protected and unprotected dry forests: a case study from Myanmar (Burma)

Tropical dry forests are more threatened, less protected and especially susceptible to deforestation. However, most deforestation research focuses on tropical rain forests. We analyzed spatial and temporal changes in land cover from 1972 through 2005 at Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), a tropical dry forest in Myanmar (Burma). CWS is one of the largest protected patches of tropical dry forest in Southeast Asia and supports over half the remaining wild population of the endangered Eld’s deer. Between 1973 and 2005, 62% of forest was lost at an annual rate of 1.86% in the area, while forest loss inside CWS was only 16% (0.45% annually). Based on trends found during our study period, dry forests outside CWS would not persist beyond 2019, while forests inside CWS would persist for at least another 100 years. Analysis of temporal deforestation patterns indicates the highest rate of loss occurred between 1992 and 2001. Conversion to agriculture, shifting agriculture, and flooding from a hydro-electric development were the main deforestation drivers. Fragmentation was also severe, halving the area of suitable Eld’s deer habitat between 1973 and 2001, and increasing its isolation. CWS protection efforts were effective in reducing deforestation rates, although deforestation effects extended up to 2 km into the sanctuary. Establishing new protected areas for dry forests and finding ways to mitigate human impacts on existing forests are both needed to protect remaining dry forests and the species they support.     

Review of the protected area network in Guinea, West Africa, and recommendations for new sites for biodiversity conservation

With only five protected areas dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity (two national parks, one strict nature reserve and two faunal reserves), Guinea has one of the smallest protected area networks in West Africa. As a result, two of the five ecoregions of the country and six of the 14 globally threatened large and medium-sized mammals occurring in Guinea are not found in the national protected area network. To identify areas with high biodiversity that could be included in the national protected area network, we used the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) methodology. We devised a scoring system to rank the identified KBAs according to their relative conservation significance. We identified a total of 16 KBAs throughout the country. Their proclamation as protected areas would result in the protection of all ecoregions and all but one of Guinea’s globally threatened large and medium-sized mammals. Twelve of the 16 KBAs have the legal status of classified forest, a status that should facilitate the change into formal biodiversity protected areas (IUCN category I–IV). Our analysis indicates that even if only the two areas with the highest conservation significance score, the Ziama and Diécké forests, become formal protected areas, this would provide protection to both the western Guinean lowland forests, one of the most threatened ecoregions in Africa, and to 11 of the 14 threatened large and medium-sized mammals occurring in Guinea.     

Poor effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network protecting Mediterranean lichen species

Evaluation of the effectiveness of protected areas networks for conserving diversity is a demanding topic in biological conservation. In the last few years, there has been an increasing number of studies on species distribution modelling which can be easily used to test the efficiency of reserve networks. Unfortunately, this effort has been focused on the so called charismatic species. Our main goal is to test the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network by using non-charismatic species. We determined potential distribution patterns for 18 lichen species in Spain and evaluated the effectiveness of the Natura 2000 network in protecting them. Models were implemented with ENFA (Ecological-Niche Factor Analysis) because this modelling approach only requires presence data since the reliability of absence data is really poor. Habitat suitability maps were obtained and high suitability areas were characterised using ten environmental predictors. Maps of areas of high suitability were overlaid with the Natura 2000 network cover, considering the different biogeographical regions present in mainland Spain. The effectiveness of the Natura 2000 was quite low in most species. The analysis per region showed that Mediterranean lichen species growing in forests are better protected than species found in coastal, drier and warmer areas. Our results indicate that the Natura 2000 network, a protection system based on vascular plants, does not guarantee the protection of Mediterranean lichen species. Thus, this type of gap analysis and especially the inclusion of “non-charismatic” organisms such as lichens should be considered in studies to define protected areas.     

Island Populations, Human Introductions and the Limitations of Genetic Analyses: the Case of the Sardinian Red Deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus)

The Corsican red deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus) is endemic to the Tyrrhenian islands of Corsica and Sardinia. It has been regarded as an introduced species and has allegedly been present on the islands since the beginning of the Neolithic culture some 8,000 years ago. In this review, we present the results of relevant genetic analyses and discuss their implications for the origin of C. e. corsicanus. Different genetic studies hypothesize that the most probable ancestral populations for Sardianian red deer were alternatively, the Near East, North Africa, or mainland Italy. These respective scenarios are evaluated and it is concluded that geneticists have not yet been unable to definitively solve the problem. However, a natural colonization of the Tyrrhenian islands from mainland Italy via the Tuscan archipelago is not only in accordance with palaeontological findings but also with at least some of the genetic data.     

Importance of scrub–pastureland mosaics for wild-living cats occurrence in a Mediterranean area: implications for the conservation of the wildcat (Felis silvestris)

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a threatened species in Europe. Suitable management of forests has been considered crucial for its conservation in Europe. However, this recommendation may not be general due to the lack of studies that test these hypotheses in the Mediterranean area, where landscapes are very different from those of central-north Europe. In this study, wild-living cat habitat associations were analyzed by means of scat surveys in 78 areas distributed in the four main vegetation types of the Mediterranean area of central Spain, where feral cat populations are probably scarce and restricted. Results show higher occurrences of wild-living cats in landscapes covered by scrub–pastureland mosaics rather than forests. Several applied recommendations are given: (1) to include the scrub–pastureland mosaics as protected habitats for wildcats; (2) to encourage further studies about the importance of this habitat in other areas; (3) to avoid the extensive scrubland removal associated with management practices against fires or infrastructure development; and (4) to promote land management practices that enhance these mosaics, and to use shrub species in the reforestation programmes founded by the European Agricultural Policy.     

Factors affecting seasonal habitat use,and predicted range of two tropical deer in Indonesian rainforest

There is an urgent recognized need for conservation of tropical forest deer. In order to identify some environmental factors affecting conservation, we analyzed the seasonal habitat use of two Indonesian deer species, Axis kuhlii in Bawean Island and Muntiacus muntjak in south-western Java Island, in response to several physical, climatic, biological, and anthropogenic variables. Camera trapping was performed in different habitat types during both wet and dry season to record these elusive species. The highest number of photographs was recorded in secondary forest and during the dry season for both Bawean deer and red muntjac. In models, anthropogenic and climatic variables were the main predictors of habitat use. Distances to cultivated area and to settlement were the most important for A. kuhlii in the dry season. Distances to cultivated area and annual rainfall were significant for M. muntjak in both seasons. Then we modelled their predictive range using Maximum entropy modelling (Maxent). We concluded that forest landscape is the fundamental scale for deer management, and that secondary forests are potentially important landscape elements for deer conservation. Important areas for conservation were identified accounting of habitat transformation in both study areas.     

Using niche modelling and human influence index to indicate conservation priorities for Atlantic forest deer species

To prioritise conservation actions and management strategies for threatened forest deer species at the Atlantic forest, we aimed to identify and describe the most suitable habitat areas for forest deer species and to indicate conservation measures for state agents and local communities. We adopt an approach based on ecological niche modelling, key variable thresholds and spatial analyses. In addition, we associated our approach with a human influence index, an invasive species dataset of occurrences, protected area cover and IUCN category. We indicate 2 % (484 km²) of the Atlantic forest cover as conservation priority areas (CPAs). Of these, 56.8 % are outside protected areas, 20.7 % are inside IUCN categories i, ii and iii protected areas, 19.9 % are inside IUCN categories iv, v, and vi protected areas, and 2.6 % are inside indigenous areas. Also, we indicate the most relevant protected areas for deer conservation in the Atlantic forest. The CPAs were classified into more human-influenced areas (MHIA) and less human-influenced areas (LHIA), and we identified 21 significant (greater than120 km²) continuous CPAs outside protected areas. We highlight actions in several perspectives of human influence, governance levels and law protection that would rationalise the use of funds and human resources.     

Evaluation of Shifts in White-Tailed Deer Winter Yards in the Adirondack Region of New York

ABSTRACT In the Adirondack region of northern New York, USA, severe weather and deep snow typically force white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to congregate in areas of dense coniferous cover and along watercourses at lower elevations. We examined 16 yards in the Adirondacks and explored the observation that deer have changed their movement behavior to incorporate residential communities within their wintering areas. We compared locations of deer herds in 2003 and 2004 to deer wintering areas mapped during the 1960s and 1970s. Deer were predominantly absent in 9 of 16 historical yards but were present in residential communities within the same drainage. Yarding areas to which deer shifted contained more residential, deciduous, and mixed cover than yards where no shift occurred, indicating that deer in residential areas were using conifer and mixed cover at a finer scale than deer in nonresidential areas. Smaller winter ranges and core areas of marked deer in a residential winter yard further imply greater concentration of resources available in these areas. Marked deer demonstrated flexibility in core winter range fidelity, a behavior that allows for more permanent shifts as habitat and food resources change or as new areas with appropriate resources are encountered. Our study suggests that low-density residential areas in lowland conifer forests may provide an energetic advantage for deer during winter due to the assemblage of quality habitat interspersed with open areas and a variety of potential food sources in environments where movement is typically constrained by deep snow. Managers should consider the potential for changes in use of deer wintering areas prior to land conservation efforts and may need to adapt management strategies to reduce conflicts in communities occupied by deer during winter.