Current distribution and habitat preferences of red deer and eurasian elk in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Here we determine the distribution, numbers and habitat preferences of two of the largest species in the family Cervidae present in the Czech Republic, red deer and Eurasian elk. Red deer occurs predominantly in vast areas of forest, i.e. mainly in the mountains bordering this country and several large forest units in the interior. The range of this species has been increasing along with the size of its population. Areas of its permanent occurrence may be generally characterized as regions largely covered with deciduous and coniferous forests and pastures, and regions with a more diverse landscape. Red deer does not occur in areas that are mainly arable or urban, or in areas covered with extensive water bodies and wetlands. As these animals prefer large forests, they occur mainly at high altitudes where the terrain is rugged. The Eurasian elk permanently occurs in the Czech Republic in a single area located between the state border and the right bank of the Lipno Dam. Its home range has been diminishing, presumably along with its numbers. The area of its permanent occurrence is characterized by an abundance of coniferous trees, some pastures and water bodies. The Eurasian elk does not occur in areas covered with arable and urban land but also surprisingly in areas with mainly deciduous forest. Both species prefer high altitudes, but Eurasian elk prefers areas with little difference in the terrain vertically.

The declining occurrence of moose (Alces alces) at the southernmost edge of its range raise conservation concerns

“…While an intensification of monitoring may have contributed to the increase in moose observations in the 2000s, it does not explain the steep decrease of the observation in the most recent years. The current population size cannot be estimated precisely with the available data, but published estimates from the early 1990s of up to 25 individuals in Třeboňsko and 10-20 individuals in the SNP's Lipno Reservoir contrast with estimates from 2010 for the same localities: 0 and 10-15 individuals, respectively (Mrlík, 1995;Romportl et al, 2017). The reported extinction of the species in Třeboňsko in 2010 (Romportl et al, 2017) seems to have been premature, as post-2010 records show moose re-expansion, including that of young animals (Figure 4d).…”

“…The current population size cannot be estimated precisely with the available data, but published estimates from the early 1990s of up to 25 individuals in Třeboňsko and 10-20 individuals in the SNP's Lipno Reservoir contrast with estimates from 2010 for the same localities: 0 and 10-15 individuals, respectively (Mrlík, 1995;Romportl et al, 2017). The reported extinction of the species in Třeboňsko in 2010 (Romportl et al, 2017) seems to have been premature, as post-2010 records show moose re-expansion, including that of young animals (Figure 4d). Nonetheless, although the number of recorded observations was highest during the fourth period, according to local experts the reduced number of observations since 2013 and the small patches of occurrence indicate a population decline.…”

“…Additionally, we evaluated differences in the distances of the moose records from key land cover categories: artificial surfaces as potential barrier and threat, broad-leaved forest as a preferred habitat for foraging and hiding, natural grassland and shrubs for foraging, wetlands, and waterbodies as habitats for hiding and avoiding heat stress (Borowik et al, 2018(Borowik et al, , 2020Beest et al, 2012;Courtois et al, 2002;Melin et al, 2016;Romportl et al, 2017;Tomek, 1977) for each time period. We tested data for normality and used ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test depending on normality of the data in R software (R Core Team, 2019).…”

“…Bohemian Forest Ecosystem, Habitat suitability modelling, Moose (alces alces) F I G U R E 1 Moose (Alces alces in our study area, photo by Thomas Engleder) regenerating and young forests, which offer both woody browsing and shelter (Beest et al, 2012;McNicol & Gilbert, 1980;Melin et al, 2016). Moose habitats in Central Europe often comprise forested landscapes (Schönfeld, 2009), with a mosaic of pastures and a diverse landscape structure (Romportl et al, 2017). In Poland, moose inhabit lowland forests with shrubs but also bogs as well as mire habitats with sedge-moss and reed communities (Borowik et al, 2018;Tomek, 1977).…”

“…Thus, in this study, to obtain an accurate picture of the history and status of the moose population, we collected all available occurrence data from the region to (a) evaluate changes in moose distribution in the study area; (b) identify the main causes of mortality; and (c) analyze habitat selection to model the extent of suitable habitat. We expected that landscapes with water bodies, wetlands, and a heterogeneous mosaic of shrubs, meadows, and forests provide suitable habitat for the moose population (Beest et al, 2012;Borowik et al, 2018Borowik et al, , 2020Courtois et al, 2002;Melin et al, 2016;Romportl et al, 2017;Tomek, 1977), while anthropogenic structures would reduce the amount and connectivity of available habitat (Bragina et al, 2018;Mrlík, 1995;Ree et al, 2015;Seiler, 2005;Strnad et al, 2012).…”