Browsing of overabundant free-living herbivores often limits the natural as well as artificial regeneration of forest in Central-European Mountains. The aim of the study was to assess the efficiency of the extensive reductions of herbivore populations for protection of forest regeneration in preferred areas. We analysed the relationship between the intensity of shoot browsing and relative density of herbivores in viewpoint of natural regeneration of secondary mountain spruce stands with low proportion of broadleaved trees in Králický Sněžník Reserve (Czech Republic). The distribution of seasonally migrating herbivores was established by counting faecal pellet groups (standing crop method) in growing season. The intensity of browsing of spruce, beech and rowan was assessed using the proportion of browsed shoots on individual tree sapling. Density of red deer was re-counted from the number of pellet groups and it was 15-56 individual/km 2 . The intensity of spruce browsing was low in the whole area in all seasons. In general, the intensity of rowan and beech shoot browsing was high in the whole area. There were no correlations between deer density and browsing intensity of rowan (browsing was severe in all plots). We conclude that the natural regeneration of attractive trees and shrubs is nearly impossible in habitats where proportion of these food items is too small, even when the density of herbivores is low. Reduction of herbivores density is useful for protecting spruce and other tree species with low preference by herbivores. Forest managers should take into account the high palatability of deciduous tree species and distribution of herbivores on localities. Preference of localities is often based on grasses in the food supply. Regeneration of highly palatable tree species requires both low density of herbivores and sufficient protection of saplings.

Susceptibility to prion diseases is largely determined by the sequence of the prion protein gene ( PRNP ), which encodes the prion protein (PrP). The recent emergence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Europe has highlighted the need to investigate PRNP gene diversity in European deer species, to better predict their susceptibility to CWD. Here we report a large genetic survey of six British deer species, including red ( Cervus elaphus ), sika ( Cervus nippon ), roe ( Capreolus capreolus ), fallow ( Dama dama ), muntjac ( Muntiacus reevesii ), and Chinese water deer ( Hydropotes inermis ), which establishes PRNP haplotype and genotype frequencies. Two smaller data sets from red deer in Norway and the Czech Republic are also included for comparison. Overall red deer show the most PRNP variation, with non-synonymous/coding polymorphisms at codons 98, 168, 226 and 247, which vary markedly in frequency between different regions. Polymorphisms P168S and I247L were only found in Scottish and Czech populations, respectively. T98A was found in all populations except Norway and the south of England. Significant regional differences in genotype frequencies were observed within both British and European red deer populations. Other deer species showed less variation, particularly roe and fallow deer, in which identical PRNP gene sequences were found in all individuals analysed. Based on comparison with PRNP sequences of North American cervids affected by CWD and limited experimental challenge data, these results suggest that a high proportion of wild deer in Great Britain may be susceptible to CWD.

No abstract

We studied diet composition of red deer Cervus elaphus in the Bohemian Forest by micro-histological analysis of 207 samples of red deer faeces obtained on the Czech and the Bavarian side of the border. We carried out the research from October 2006 to February 2008, and collected samples every two months at nine monitoring plots that were situated at different altitudes (i.e. from 600 to 1,250 m a.s.l.). Our results confirmed the classification of red deer among intermediate feeders with a mixed diet of graminoids (29.4%) and concentrate food items (60.6%). Concentrate food items were dominant in their diet all year round; however, the diet composition during the winter season differed from the diet composition during the vegetation season. This change was mainly represented by the strong increase in consumption of coniferous trees (from 5.7 to 26.4%) during winter. The amount of graminoids in the diet was higher during the vegetation season, which was caused by the intensive consumption of graminoids at two top-hill plots (up to 90% per sample). Likewise bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus, with ripe berries was identified as an important food source only at the mountain ridge (up to 33% per sample). In agreement with our prediction, the diet composition of red deer at windthrow gaps (Blatny´vrch Hill and Schachtenau) differed from the diet composition at undisturbed forest sites. At the gaps, ferns were an intensively consumed food source (up to 80% per sample). Contrary to other mountain areas, ferns made up a much larger share of the diet not only during autumn and winter but also during spring and summer. At Schachtenau, red deer also fed extensively on bramble Rubus sp., which intensively proliferates at the gaps. Diet composition of red deer in the Bohemian Forest differed between seasons, between plots at the mountain ridge and plots situated at lower altitudes as well as between windthrow gaps and undisturbed forest sites. However, further research of diet selectivity is necessary to explain in detail the observed feeding patterns.