Diet of foxes and martens in central Poland

Abstract

Jacek GOSZCZYÑSKIGoszczyński J., 1986: Diet of foxes and martens in central Poland. Acta theriol., 31, The diet of foxes and martens was examined on the basis of the composition of their feaces (1139 and 813 portions, respectively) collected from the same area in central Poland. Although the mean density of the common vole was low in the study area, an increase in the number of these rodents was followed by a functional response of both foxes and martens. This response, however, was weaker than in the areas with a high abundance of voles. The proportion of voles in the diet was more variable in the study area than in the areas of their high densities. In the diet of foxes, three groups of food items were found in similar proportions (about 26-33% by weight): small mammals, birds, and hares. In foxes a compensatory response was found between the consumption of small mammals, on the one hand, and birds and hares, on the other. Martens consumed the same three groups of prey; but also fruits were an important component of their diet (37%). Except for small mammals preyed upon by martens throughout the year, the other food items (hares, birds, insects, and fruits) were consumed from time to time. Martens showed a compensatory response between preying on small mammals and eating fruits in summer and autumn months, and also between preying upon small mammals and birds in winter and spring months. The diet of foxes was characterized by a small annual variation and a High seasonal variation in the study area as compared with areas supporting high vole densities.

Burrowing by badgers (Meles meles) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes) changes soil conditions and vegetation in a European temperate forest

“…The fox Table 1 Results of split-plot ANOVA on the differences in vegetation parameters between fox and badger sites (the effect of species), and between burrow and control plots (the effect of disturbance). BA Stand basal area, FFST fleshy-fruited shrubs and trees in the understory diet also includes invertebrates but they feed mainly on voles and other small mammals (Goszczyn´ski 1986;Kidawa and Kowalczyk 2011), so the fertility of the forest surrounding their burrows is not as important for them as the distance to open areas, where voles tend to occur in great numbers (Kidawa and Kowalczyk 2011;Kurek 2011). Species requirements for soil structural properties are another possible explanation for the habitat differences between badger and fox sites.…”

Testing mechanistic explanations for mammalian predator responses to habitat edges

“…Rodents, that may form up to 80% of the diet of mammalian mesopredators (Goszczyński 1986;Lanszki and Heltai 2007;Martinoli et al 2001) were previously found to affect the habitat preferences of mesopredators in fine spatial scales (Šálek et al 2010). Particularly, opportunistic predators such as fox and mustelids may increase their activity in localities with high prey abundance (numerical response; Korpimäki et al 1991Korpimäki et al , 2005.…”

“…Our study did not quantify the habitatspecific distribution of alternative food resources that may supplement part of the carnivore diet, such as passerine birds, bird clutches, amphibians, insect, or fruit. Although these resources are usually a less important part of the diet of mammalian carnivores (Goszczyński 1986;Genovesi et al 1996;Martinoli et al 2001), most are also likely to be more abundant at forest edges compared to heavily exploited grasslands and forests (Buse and Good 1993;Flashpohler et al 2001;Lázaro et al 2005;Šálek et al 2009). Nevertheless, habitat quality for predators also includes other (complementary) sources than food.…”

“…To do this, we simultaneously studied the distribution of mammalian predators and the distribution of their main prey, rodents (Goszczyński 1986;Lanszki and Heltai 2007;Martinoli et al 2001), in four types of landscape elements corresponding to an edge gradient between two habitat types, secondary mixed forest and hay-producing meadows. Our experimental design enabled us to confront empirical data with predictions underlining the alternative hypothetical mechanisms leading to the edge effect discussed above.…”

Habitat use and diet of the wolf in northern Italy

“…The variation of food items in seasonal diets (winter = December to February; spring = March to May; summer = June to August; autumn = September to November) was analized by Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. We also calculated the overlap index C of the seasonal diets by the following formula (Horn 1966, Goszczynski 1986a:…”