There is only one winner: The negative impact of red deer density on roe deer numbers and distribution in the Słowiński National Park and its vicinity

Borkowski, Jakub; Banul, Rafał; Jurkiewicz-Azab, Jolanta; Hołdyński, Czesław; Święczkowska, Justyna; Nasiadko, Maciej; Załuski, Dariusz

doi:10.1002/ece3.7538

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Richard et al (2010) showed that the body mass of roe deer fawns decreased consistently in areas characterized by higher red deer population density, most likely as a consequence of the negative impact of red deer on vegetation which reduces the amount of high‐quality food for roe deer. A similar result was obtained by Borkowski et al (2021) when they found that roe deer population density was notably lower within the Słowiński National Park (where higher red deer population densities were recorded) compared to the neighbouring non‐protected areas where hunting is allowed. They assumed that red deer at higher population density most likely exert a negative impact on the vegetation, thus reducing feeding resources for roe deer.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Furthermore, it represents one of the main elements affecting population dynamics and distribution (Begon et al, 2006), along with metabolic responses of wild species (Fattorini et al, 2018; Filacorda et al, 2021; Santicchia et al, 2018). Resource competition between red and roe deer (Borkowski et al, 2021; Richard et al, 2010), as well as between wild boar and roe deer (Melberg, 2012), have already been documented and may significantly affect the roe deer long‐term physiological stress response. Furthermore, even habitat quality may exert a key role in shaping the HPA axis response (Jaimez et al, 2011; Martínez‐Mota et al, 2007; Rangel‐Negrín et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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You're stressing me out! Effect of interspecific competition from red deer on roe deer physiological stress response

et al. 2023

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Cortisol is the main glucocorticoid hormone commonly measured to assess adrenocortical activity in vertebrates in response to potential stressors. Competition and habitat quality may act as chronic stressors leading to an increase in cortisol accumulation. Moreover, chronic cortisol concentrations may seriously hamper the reproductive potential, health status and body condition of a species. Using hair collected from the rump of 88 adult roadkill roe deer Capreolus capreolus in the north-eastern Italy, we aimed to assess the effect of both ungulate competitor population densities and habitat suitability on the long-term physiological stress response of roe deer, using hair cortisol as a reference parameter. Our findings revealed that roe deer showed higher cortisol concentrations in response to higher red deer Cervus elaphus population density, most likely as a consequence of direct interspecific competition. No significant cortisol changes were however recorded in response to both wild boar Sus scrofa and roe deer population densities, probably as a result of reduced competition because of abundant feeding resources, different species population densities and spatial/temporal avoidance among species. Moreover, the absence of a significant effect as far as habitat suitability is concerned, suggest that roe deer are well adapted to live even in poor quality habitats most likely as long as they are close to better quality habitats which provide access to food resources and refuge sites. Our results highlight the importance of hair cortisol as a suitable parameter to assess physiological chronic stress response towards different environmental/ecological conditions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

You're stressing me out! Effect of interspecific competition from red deer on roe deer physiological stress response

et al. 2023

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“…Indeed, Capreolus capreolus is a browser and income-breeder species whose population growth rate is sensitive to hunting pressure for lower browsing pressure levels [37,65,66] and is negatively affected by Cervus elaphus abundance since their diet partially overlaps. The diet of Capreolus capreolus is more restrictive than the diet of the Cervus elaphus [51,52,[67][68][69]. Harvest statistics are thus susceptible to poorly representing the standing population of Capreolus capreolus because of the higher density dependence of population growth rate than red deer in the conditions of the study.…”

Section: Study Scope and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Interspecific Growth Reductions Caused by Wild Ungulates on Tree Seedlings and Their Implications for Temperate Quercus-Fagus Forests

Candaele

Ligot

Licoppe

et al. 2023

Forests

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Ungulate impacts on forest understory alter tree species composition, with cascading effects on forest functions and resilience against future climate conditions. Indeed, the ungulate browsing pressure on tree seedlings is species-specific and causes contrasted growth reductions that alter tree recruitment rates. Untangling the effects of browsing from the effects of the other factors driving regeneration success is required to guide the forest and ungulate management. In particular, Fagus sylvatica L. strongly dominates temperate Quercus-Fagus forests close to their climax, and it remains unclear if controlling ungulate populations can maintain tree species diversity in naturally regenerated forests. We addressed this question by monitoring 734 pairs of fenced and unfenced 6-m2 plots across a broad gradient of Cervus elaphus L. abundance in Belgian Quercus-Fagus forests managed by continuous cover forestry. Seedling height, density, and vegetation cover were monitored from 2016 to 2021. Species diversity and ecological affinity for light, temperature, and atmospheric humidity conditions were computed from these measures. With ungulates, the mean growth of Betula pendula Roth. and Sorbus aucuparia L. was negligible, whereas, without ungulates, their growth was higher than the growth of other species. With ungulates, the growth of Fagus sylvatica L. and Picea abies (L.) H. Karst was higher than other species. Quercus (Quercus petreae (Matt.) Liebl and Quercus robur L.) growth was the lowest in all conditions. Finally, Carpinus betulus L. was heavily browsed but still grew higher than its competitors with ungulates. Ungulate browsing can then severely affect seedling growth and likely reduce the diversity of future recruited trees. In the study area, browsing unfavored the regeneration of the species that are less shade tolerant, more-drought tolerant, and more-heat tolerant. It thus accelerates the natural succession and reduces forest resilience to heat and drought events. Such an observation was found valid over a wide study area encompassing contrasting levels of Cervus elaphus L. abundance. Combining further reductions of ungulate populations with foodscape improvement is likely required to maintain species diversity in these forests.

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“…In Scotland, red deer appear to exert a competitive effect on roe deer. Studies demonstrate a negative effect of red deer density on roe deer numbers, with resource competition potentially causing a negative impact on roe deer body mass (Borkowski et al., 2021; Latham et al., 1997; Richard et al., 2010). With sika deer, some limited research demonstrates the potential for sika deer to be displaced by red deer, and for high red deer densities to reduce fertility in sika deer (Putman & Pemberton, 2022; Raymond, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land cover preferences and spatiotemporal associations of ungulates within a Scottish mammal community

Lovell,

Pettorelli,

Dawson

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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In the degraded and modified environment of the Scottish Highlands, novel ungulate communities have arisen following local extinctions, reintroductions, and the introduction of non‐native species. An understanding of the dynamics and interactions within these unique mammal communities is important as many of these mammals represent keystone species with disproportionate impacts on the environment. Using a camera trap survey, we investigated land cover preferences and spatiotemporal interactions within a Scottish ungulate community: the sika deer (Cervus nippon), the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), the red deer (Cervus elaphus), and the wild boar (Sus scrofa). We used generalised linear models to assess land cover preferences and the effect of human disturbance; spatiotemporal interactions were characterised using time interval modelling. We found that sika deer and roe deer preferred coniferous plantations and grasslands, with sika deer additionally preferring woodland. For red deer, we found a slight preference for wetland over woodland; however, the explained variance was low. Finally, wild boar preferred grassland and woodland and avoided coniferous plantations, heathland, and shrubland. Contrary to our expectations, we found no evidence that human disturbance negatively impacted ungulates' distributions, potentially because ungulates temporally avoid humans or because dense vegetation cover mitigates the impacts of humans on their distributions. Furthermore, we detected a spatiotemporal association between sika deer and roe deer. Although the underlying cause of this is unknown, we hypothesise that interactions such as grazing facilitation or an anti‐predator response to culling could be driving this pattern. Our work provides a preliminary analysis of the dynamics occurring within a novel ungulate community and also highlights current knowledge gaps in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms dictating the observed spatiotemporal associations.

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There is only one winner: The negative impact of red deer density on roe deer numbers and distribution in the Słowiński National Park and its vicinity

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 13 publications

References 51 publications

You're stressing me out! Effect of interspecific competition from red deer on roe deer physiological stress response

You're stressing me out! Effect of interspecific competition from red deer on roe deer physiological stress response

Interspecific Growth Reductions Caused by Wild Ungulates on Tree Seedlings and Their Implications for Temperate Quercus-Fagus Forests

Land cover preferences and spatiotemporal associations of ungulates within a Scottish mammal community

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