Selectivity of wolf predation on red deer in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

Śmietana, Wojciech

doi:10.1007/bf03194490

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…<1 year) in many study areas (see Okarma 1995 for a review;Gula 2004;Jędrzejewski et al 2000) and in particular individuals between 10 and 35 kg (Meriggi et al 1996;Capitani et al 2004). Likewise, red deer calves were generally selected (Jędrzejewski et al 2000;Gazzola et al 2005;Nowak et al 2005;Smietana 2005). For roe deer, different studies produced different results.…”

Section: Prey Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey selection and dietary response by wolves in a high-density multi-species ungulate community

Mattioli¹,

Capitani

Gazzola

et al. 2011

Eur J Wildl Res

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Studies on predation by the wolf (Canis lupus) have often reported contradictory results about the role of prey density and vulnerability on wolf prey use. We investigated dietary response and prey selection by wolves in a high-density and multi-species ungulate community, analysing scats collected over a period of 11 years in the Casentinesi Forests, Italy. The second most abundant species, wild boar (Sus scrofa), was found to be the main wolf prey, and we did not observe any dietary response of wolves to variations in the density of either primary or secondary prey species. Selection patterns were uniform throughout the study period. Wolves strongly selected for wild boar piglets, while roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) fawns and adults, red deer (Cervus elaphus) adults and fallow deer (Dama dama) adults were avoided. Wolf preference for wild boar was inversely density dependent. Within each species, juveniles were preferred to adults. Medium-sized, young individuals of both wild boar and roe deer were optimal prey, although with different selection patterns related to the different anti-predator strategies adopted by each prey species. The results of this study suggest that in productive ecosystems with high density and high renewal rates of prey, selection patterns by wolves are determined by prey vulnerability, which is connected to prey age and body size. The different patterns of wild boar versus cervids use by wolf across Europe seems to be related to their relative abundances, while the strong selection of wild boar in Italian Apennines with respect to the more frequent avoidance in central-eastern Europe is better explained by higher piglet productivity and smaller body size of adults boar in Mediterranean temperate forests.

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Section: Prey Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey selection and dietary response by wolves in a high-density multi-species ungulate community

Mattioli¹,

Capitani

Gazzola

et al. 2011

Eur J Wildl Res

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“…The aim of this paper is to analyse first data on red deer spatial behaviour in the Carpathians, because no data are yet available from this area; however, some preliminary results have been presented in the past (Kropil et al 2005(Kropil et al , 2009) and in general, very few related studies have been carried out in this region (Okarma 1984(Okarma , 1991Nowak et al 2005;Smietana 2005). In particular, the aims of this study are as follows: (i) to present first data on home range sizes at two temporal scales (annual and seasonal) of 20 male red deer monitored for several consecutive years in the Western Carpathians using three home range-estimating methods; (ii) to show distinct patterns of spatial behaviour, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home range and migration patterns of male red deer Cervus elaphus in Western Carpathians

2014

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This study provides for the first time in the Carpathians analysis of spatial behaviour of 20 male red deer monitored during 2005-2013 using radio-telemetry. Two distinct spatial patterns were displayed in the same local population, i.e. residential and migratory. Residential annual home ranges were significantly smaller compared to migratory ones using both Minimum Convex Polygon and Kernel Home Range, due to periodic movement of migrants between distinct seasonal ranges. Residents remained in the same area throughout the year and showed a positive age effect on the home range size. While seasonal ranges of migrants were comparable in size, residents surprisingly expanded their space use in winter compared to other seasons. Fidelity to seasonal ranges over the years, especially winter, was striking and comparable in both migrants and residents with increasing tendency throughout the year (37-68 %). Vertical differences in home range altitudes were most obvious in migrants, although in both migrant types, significant descent was recorded during the winter. The longest horizontal movements were recorded in three young stags emigrating to neighbouring mountain ranges (30, 47 and 65 km). Because 45 % of the population seems to be migratory, the data support importance of large-scale hunting management established in Slovakia in 2009.

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“…Most studies on the feeding ecology of the wolf Canis lupus have been conducted in North America (Mech 1970, Hoskinson & Mech 1976, Fuller & Keith 1980, Holleman & Stephenson 1981, Ballard et al 1987, Dale et al 1994, Schmidt & Mech 1997). In Europe, there have been various studies on wolf diet, some of which showed wild ungulates as the wolf's main prey (Jedrzejewski et al 1992, Smietana & Klimek 1993, Mattioli et al 1995, Okarma 1995, Meriggi et al 1996, Andersone‐Lilley & Ozolins 2004, Gazzola et al 2005, Smietana 2005, Nowak et al 2005, Valdmann et al 2005). However, the feeding habits of Iberian wolves Canis lupus signatus have received little attention (Guitián et al 1979, Salvador & Abad 1987, Cuesta et al 1991, Urios 1995) and the studies performed have shown that the species' food habits are highly variable depending on the areas in which the species occurs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey and Prey‐Age Preference by the Iberian Wolf Canis Lupus Signatus in a Multiple‐Prey Ecosystem

Barja

2009

Wildlife Biology

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In many regions of the Iberian Peninsula, wild ungulates have disappeared and wolves Canis lupus often depend on garbage dumps and domestic animals. This paper represents an example of wild ungulate preferences of the Iberian wolf Canis lupus signatus in an environment with no human‐wildlife conflicts, because wolves rarely predate on livestock. I studied the patterns of prey selection by the Iberian wolf during May 1998‐October 2002 in northwestern Spain, in an area which supports a diverse community of wild ungulates and in which also domestic ungulates are present. My analysis of 593 wolf scats showed that wild ungulates were consumed preferentially over other prey (i.e. domestic ungulates, carnivores and lagomorphs). Roe deer Capreolus capreolus was the most important prey species followed by red deer Cervus elaphus and wild boar Sus scrofa. Domestic ungulates were poorly represented in the wolf diet. Predation frequencies of domestic and wild ungulates varied seasonally and between years. The consumption of roe deer and wild boar increased during the birthing season, probably because of the higher vulnerability of newly born animals; wolves predate mainly on juvenile roe deer and wild boar.

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Selectivity of wolf predation on red deer in the Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

Cited by 18 publications

References 34 publications

Prey selection and dietary response by wolves in a high-density multi-species ungulate community

Prey selection and dietary response by wolves in a high-density multi-species ungulate community

Home range and migration patterns of male red deer Cervus elaphus in Western Carpathians

Prey and Prey‐Age Preference by the Iberian Wolf Canis Lupus Signatus in a Multiple‐Prey Ecosystem

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