Habitat Selection and Risk of Predation: Re-colonization by Lynx had Limited Impact on Habitat Selection by Roe Deer

Samelius, Gustaf; Andrén, Henrik; Kjellander, Petter; Liberg, Olof

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075469

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…However, despite the fact that predation is the main mortality cause in this population (Online Resource 1), it seems that lynx have only a limited impact on deer habitat selection (Samelius et al 2013), suggesting that roe deer may have more difficulty coping with the stress induced by the risk of lynx predation. However, note that, while predation risk has been recognized as a major factor affecting the stress response (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Variation in the stress response among personalities and populations in a large wild herbivore

et al. 2018

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Faced with rapid environmental changes, individuals may express different magnitude and plasticity in their response to a given stressor. However, little is known about the causes of variation in phenotypic plasticity of the stress response in wild populations. In the present study, we repeatedly captured individual roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from two wild populations in Sweden exposed to differing levels of predation pressure and measured plasma concentrations of stress-induced cortisol and behavioral docility. While controlling for the marked effects of habituation, we found clear between-population differences in the stress-induced cortisol response. Roe deer living in the area that was recently recolonized by lynx (Lynx lynx) and wolves (Canis lupus) expressed cortisol levels that were around 30% higher than roe deer in the human-dominated landscape free of large carnivores. In addition, for the first time to our knowledge, we investigated the stress-induced cortisol response in free-ranging newborn fawns and found no evidence for hypo-responsiveness during early life in this species. Indeed, stress-induced cortisol levels were of similar magnitude and differed between populations to a similar extent in both neonates and adults. Finally, at an individual level, we found that both cortisol and docility levels were strongly repeatable, and weakly negatively inter-correlated, suggesting that individuals differed consistently in how they respond to a stressor, and supporting the existence of a stress-management syndrome in roe deer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00442-018-4174-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Variation in the stress response among personalities and populations in a large wild herbivore

et al. 2018

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“…Multi‐predator responses in roe deer have not previously been studied, but a diel pattern in vigilance indicating daytime responsiveness to hunters during the hunting season have been seen in roe deer near Białowieżia forest, Poland (Sönnichsen et al ). An earlier study saw no influence of lynx risk on roe deer habitat selection, but had low sample size to look at day–night differences, and used coarser habitat categories than us (Samelius et al ). The diel pattern in habitat selection we documented is thus largely consistent with vigilance behavior with respect to the spatio‐temporal variation in risk presented by hunters and one or more natural predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anecdotal evidence suggests strong immediate responses by roe deer being chased by lynx remaining in open habitat for hours (Mysterud unpubl. ), while broader patterns of roe deer habitat selection do not seem to have changed after lynx recolonization (Samelius et al ). Exactly how much of selection is changed due to recolonization of lynx, and how much this is dependent on whether lynx is actively hunting in a given area, remains to be precisely quantified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variation in habitat selection breaks the catch‐22 of spatially contrasting predation risk from multiple predators

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et al. 2016

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Predator avoidance depends on prey being able to discern how risk varies in space and time, but this is made considerably more complicated if risk is simultaneously present from multiple predators. This is the situation for an increasing number of mammalian prey species, as large carnivores recover or are reintroduced in ecosystems on several continents. Roe deer Capreolus capreolus in southern Norway illustrate a case in which prey face two predators with contrasting patterns of predation risk. They face a catch‐22 situation: spatially avoiding the risk from one predator (lynx Lynx lynx in dense habitat) implies exposure to the other (hunters in open habitat). Using GPS‐data from 29 roe deer, we tested for daily and seasonal variation in roe deer selection for habitat with respect to the habitats’ year‐round average risk level. Generally, roe deer altered their habitat selection between night and day in a pattern consistent with being able to avoid predicted risk from the nocturnal lynx during night and predicted risk from human hunters during day. However, seasonal variation in habitat selection only partially corresponded with the predicted seasonal variation in risk. Whereas roe deer avoided areas with high risk from hunters more strongly during the hunting season than in other seasons, there was a lack of selection towards areas and time periods lowering the risk of lynx predation during winter. It seems likely that the risk of starvation and thermal stress constrain roe deer habitat selection during this energetically challenging season with cold temperatures, snow cover and limited natural forage. The habitat selection pattern of roe deer fits thus only partly with the two contrasting risk gradients they face. Adjusting risk‐avoidance behavior temporally can be an adaptive response in the case of several predators whose predation patterns differ in space and time.

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“…Roe deer in the BFNP also showed small scales behavioural responses by increasing vigilance when confronted with pulses of high predation risk (Eccard et al ). At large spatial and temporal scales roe deer select habitats providing high quality forage over those decreasing predation risk (Samelius et al ). Predation represents the highest cause of mortality in roe deer of the BFNP (Heurich et al ), but depending on the environmental context, especially the predator's hunting strategy and density, predation might not be perceived by large herbivores as the most limiting factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat selection by a large herbivore at multiple spatial and temporal scales is primarily governed by food resources

et al. 2016

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Habitat selection can be considered as a hierarchical process in which animals satisfy their habitat requirements at different ecological scales. Theory predicts that spatial and temporal scales should co‐vary in most ecological processes and that the most limiting factors should drive habitat selection at coarse ecological scales, but be less influential at finer scales. Using detailed location data on roe deer Capreolus capreolus inhabiting the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, we investigated habitat selection at several spatial and temporal scales. We tested 1) whether time‐varying patterns were governed by factors reported as having the largest effects on fitness, 2) whether the trade‐off between forage and predation risks differed among spatial and temporal scales and 3) if spatial and temporal scales are positively associated. We analysed the variation in habitat selection within the landscape and within home ranges at monthly intervals, with respect to land‐cover type and proxys of food and cover over seasonal and diurnal temporal scales. The fine‐scale temporal variation follows a nycthemeral cycle linked to diurnal variation in human disturbance. The large‐scale variation matches seasonal plant phenology, suggesting food resources being a greater limiting factor than lynx predation risk. The trade‐off between selection for food and cover was similar on seasonal and diurnal scale. Habitat selection at the different scales may be the consequence of the temporal variation and predictability of the limiting factors as much as its association with fitness. The landscape of fear might have less importance at the studied scale of habitat selection than generally accepted because of the predator hunting strategy. Finally, seasonal variation in habitat selection was similar at the large and small spatial scales, which may arise because of the marked philopatry of roe deer. The difference is supposed to be greater for wider ranging herbivores.

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Habitat Selection and Risk of Predation: Re-colonization by Lynx had Limited Impact on Habitat Selection by Roe Deer

Cited by 27 publications

References 33 publications

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Variation in the stress response among personalities and populations in a large wild herbivore

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Variation in the stress response among personalities and populations in a large wild herbivore

Temporal variation in habitat selection breaks the catch‐22 of spatially contrasting predation risk from multiple predators

Habitat selection by a large herbivore at multiple spatial and temporal scales is primarily governed by food resources

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