Exploitation of food resources by badgers ( Meles meles ) in the Swiss Jura Mountains

Abstract

In our study three badger Meles meles populations separated by only a few km but subjected to different environmental conditions were compared. Differences are especially marked for climatic factors, the three areas being located at different altitudes, and for intensivity of soil use by people. The diet of the three populations was significantly different, with one or two dominant items in each area: mammals and cereals in the mountain, maize in the mid-mountain and in the lowland areas. In the most intensively cultivated area, maize was the most consumed item in autumn and spring, several months after harvesting. Earthworms had only a secondary importance in the diet in the mountainous area, but were negligible in the mid-mountain and lowland areas. Soil management seemed to play a preponderant role, mostly owing to soil quality and topography. Climate seemed to have a secondary effect only.

Spatio-temporal ecology and density of badgers Meles meles in the Swiss Jura Mountains

“…Furthermore, den-watching and night-lighting were used to assess social organization and population density. We discuss our findings with respect to published results on the feeding habits of badgers in the area (Weber and Aubry 1994;Fischer et al 2005) as well as in the context of the wide range of spatio-temporal patterns, social systems and densities observed throughout Europe in this mustelid.…”

“…However, whereas oligochaetes were indeed the main prey of badgers during low phases of the multiannual water vole (Arvicola terrestris shermann) population cycle (Saucy 1988), rodents constituted the bulk of badger diet during periods of high vole densities (Weber and Aubry 1994). In between these phases of the cycle, a scenario which characterized the years during which our study was conducted (1993)(1994)(1995)(1996), Fischer et al (2005) showed that oligochaetes only represented about 11% of badgers' diet, and that badgers fed seasonally on a large variety of animal (small mammals, insects, earthworms) and plant items (fruits, cereals). In accordance with our habitat use data, cereals were important components of summer and autumnal diets.…”

“…Predominant vegetal species in the wooded pastures are spruce (Picea abies) and plane (Acer pseudo-platanus) trees, as well as bushes such as the dog rose, Rosa canina. Cereals are not commonly grown, and maize (Zea mais), which was frequently found in the diet of badgers living in the Swiss Midlands (Stocker and Lüps 1984), does not occur in the area (Fischer et al 2005). Small patches of forest dominated by spruce (Abieti-Fagetum) also occur over 20% of the area.…”

Biogeographical patterns of the diet of Palearctic badger: Is badger an earthworm specialist predator?

“…Localities across Eurasia from which data was obtained from publications [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. We used the relative frequency of occurrence to access the diet of badgers.…”

“…Here, we take the badgers across the Eurasia as a single species. The feeding ecology of badger has been the subject of numerous studies at many localities throuth out its distribution range, such as in England [11], Italy [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], Hungary [21], Ireland [22], Poland [23], Japan [24], Mongolia [25], Scotland [26], Spain [27][28][29] and Swiss [30]. Some researchers argued that badger is an earthworm specialist predator [26,31]; while other studies indicated that the badger is a generalist predator that uses resources according to its availability [19,27,29].…”