Several previous study results have already demonstrated that golden jackal and red fox may serve as biological indicators of trace elements and heavy metal concentrations in the various regions they inhabit. The aim of this study was to evaluate accumulation patterns of targeted elements (Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni and Pb) in liver samples of red foxes and golden jackals collected during the same period in the southern part of Romania. The accumulation patterns of trace elements in the livers of sympatric golden jackal and red fox were practically the same. To date, separate studies of the species individually in different habitats have shown that either of the species can be used for ecotoxicological and biomonitoring studies. Moreover, in general gender related studies, no significant differences in the concentrations of the investigated elements were found in either jackals or foxes. Also, average metal concentrations in liver samples do not show significant differences between groups under and above 12 months of age.

During our research we utilized data provided by GPS collars to compare the spatial patterns of wild boars living in lowland and high-hilly regions. Five wild boars were fitted with GPS Plus (Vectronic) type collars. The two aforementioned investigated habitat areas were as follows: a high-hilly hunting ground from the foot of the Bodoc Mountains (Covasna County), and the meeting point of Olt and Danube rivers in the southern part of the country (Teleorman County). The average daily wild boar activity varied between 2.9 and 3.1 km in the lowlands and between 3.6 and 4.9 km in the higher situated habitats. The average daily movement area calculated with the minimum convex polygon method was between 60.3 and 112.5 ha/day in the lowlands and between 113.5 and 125.2 ha/day in the high-hilly regions. The movement area of the wild boars calculated with the MCP method varied between 1,060 and 1,2001 hectares in lowlands and between 8,689 and 9,463 hectares in higher altitudes. Our data proved inadequate at testing whether or not large carnivores affect wild boar activity patterns. Habitat use analysis produced interesting results: even in a very diverse habitat, every collared individual preferred green forests. We found negative preference for agricultural fields in both habitats.

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This study examined the concentrations of Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the liver and kidney samples of golden jackals (n = 163) and red foxes (n = 64). Additionally, we studied how sex affected element concentration in both species, and in the case of golden jackals, how concentration levels were affected by age.Liver was the most important storage organ for Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn, while kidney for Cd and Na in jackals and foxes.We found no sex-related differences in concentration of any of the selected elements in fox samples. In jackals, the mean concentrations of Al, Mn, and Zn were significantly higher in kidneys of males, while Zn and Cu had higher concentrations in female livers. Our results suggest bioaccumulation processes do not occur in mesocarnivores.Lead and Cd concentrations fell within ranges accepted as normal for canine species and were below toxic levels in the organs of the examined species. Concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were far below the toxic levels in both organs of both species, with a slight sign of deficiency of Fe, Mn, and Zn in jackal and fox kidneys. In comparison with toxicity levels and results from other European study sites, the current study demonstrated that species living in the examined area of Somogy County, Hungary, are generally exposed to low levels of environmental contamination.

KivonatA 2009/2010. vadászati évben 77 borzot (Meles meles) gyűjtöttünk be Komárom-Esztergom megye területéről. Az egyedek egy részét vadászati eszközökkel ejtettük el, a minta 41,5%-át a közúton elgázolt és begyűjtött példányok adták. A mintapéldányok táplálkozásvizsgálatát gyomortartalom analízissel végeztük. A begyűjtés helyszíneés időpontja alapján élőhelytípusok, valamint évszakokszerint elkülönítve értékeltük az eredményeket. Vizsgáltuk a borz gyomorban talált táplálékmaradványokrelatív előfordulási gyakoriságát és a táplálékdiverzitását. A vizsgálattal az apróvadfajok borz étrendjében való előfordulási gyakoriságát,illetve az egyes élőhelyek és évszakok közti táplálkozásbeli különbségeket szándékoztuk kimutatni. A vizsgála-taink igazolták, hogy bizonyos táplálék alkotók fogyasztási gyakorisága alapján a megyében élő borzpopuláció táplálkozása az élőhelyek és évszakok tekintetében szignifikánsan különbözik. Ugyanakkor apróvadfajokat a vizsgálati terület borzállományá-nak étrendjében nem sikerült kimutatni. Megállapítottuk, hogy a vizsgálati területen a borz generalista táplálkozási stratégiát követő faj, időszakos csak bizonyos élőhelyekre jellemző, specialista táplálkozási szokásokkal.Kulcsszavak: borz táplálkozása, gyomortartalom vizsgálat, élőhelytípus, évszak, táplálkozási niche. EXAMINATION OF FOOD OF BADGERS (MELES-MELES L) IN KOMÁROM-ESZTERGOM COUNTY, HUNGARY AbstractIn the 2009/2010 hunting season 77 badgers were collected in the territory of Komárom-Esztergom county. Some of the animals were legally hunted specimens, but the 41.5% of sample resulted by road accidents. On the samples, analysis of dietary habits was performed, which was accomplished by analysis of stomach contents. The results were evaluated separately according to habitat types and seasons, based on location and time of the killing, or inventing. We examined the relative frequency of occurance and diversity of food items in stomachal contents, as well as trophic niche breadth and standardized trophic niche breadth of badgers. We intended to reveal the occurance of small game species in badger's diet and differences in feeding habits between the various habitats and seasons. The studies have shown that feeding habits of badgers living in different habitats and collected in different seasons differ significantly based on consumption frequency of certain food categories. However, the presence ofsmall game speciesin the diet of badgers has not been proved. We found that on the test area badgers are feeding generalist species, with periodic specialist features characteristic only in certain habitats.

We have identified weather factors that may influence the reproductive characteristics of roe deer and wild boar, and thus the harvest rates in the future. By exploring the weather and other factors affecting reproductive success, considering the likely scenarios of climate change, we hope to predict future changes in reproductive capacity and, in the light of these, estimate the necessary changes in harvest rates to maintain reasonable numbers of animals.

Műfészek-predációs vizsgálatok egy erősenMozaikos soMogyi élőhelyen Jánoska ferenc, kemenszky péter, farkas attila, varju József és horváth zsolt Nyugat-magyarországi Egyetem, Erdőmérnöki Kar, Vadgazdálkodási és Gerinces Állattani Intézet kivonatEgy Somogy megyei, erősen mozaikos jellegű élőhelyen végeztünk műfészek-predációs vizsgálatokat. A vizsgálatok során arra voltunk kíváncsiak, hogy a talajon fészkelő szárnyasvad-fajok fészekaljaira mely fészek-fosztogatók lehetnek potenciálisan veszélyesek egy olyan területen, ahol mind az apróvad, mind a nagyvad számára alkalmas élőhelyek találhatók. A vizsgálatok során április és május hónapban 20-20 műfészket vizsgáltunk, melyekbe 2 db valódi tyúktojást, 1-1 db viaszés gyurmatojást helyeztünk el. A műfészkeket különböző élőhely-típusok találkozási szegélyeibe helyeztük el, és 4 naponta ellenőriztük a predációt. A leggyakoribb predátornak a vörös rókát (Vulpes vulpes) (51%) és a vaddisznót (Sus scrofa) (37%) azonosítottuk. Az élőhelyszegélyek esetében áprilisban a legmagasabb predációt az égeres és a gabona, illetve az égeres és a gyep szegélyekben, májusban az erdőfoltok belső mikroszegélyében tapasztaltuk, mindhárom esetben az eltérés statisztikailag szignifikáns volt. 2 hónapig azonos helyen hagyott műfészkek esetében azonban a predáció nőtt a fiatalos korú erdők belső mikroszegélyeiben is, de a növekedés nem volt statisztikailag szignifikáns.Kulcsszavak: műfészek, predáció, vörös róka, vaddisznó, szegélyhatás artificial nest predation investigations at a varied habitat in soMogy county, hungary abstractWe made artificial ground nest predation investigations at a varied habitat in Somogy County, Hungary. During the investigation we were interested in determining which predator species pose a potential risk for the nests of small game species (pheasant and grey partridge) in a territory, where the habitats are suitable for both small game and big game. We monitored 20-20 artificial ground nests in April and May.In each nest we put 2 chicken eggs, 1 wax egg and 1 plasticine egg, respectively. We placed the artificial nests at the edge zones of different habitats and checked the predation every 4 days. We found the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) (51%) and the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) (37%) to be the most common predator species. We found in April the highest predation at the edges between the Alder forests and crop fields and the Alder forests and pastures and in May at inner micro edges of young afforestation, the differences were significant. The predation risk was also very high for artificial nests left at inner micro edges of young afforestation for 2 months, but the differences between the study periods were not significant.