Environmental factors shaping ungulate abundances in Poland
0106 biological sciences
Original Paper
red deer
QH301 Biology
boar sus-scrofa
climatic variation
forest cover
demographic parameters
15. Life on land
density-dependence
01 natural sciences
January temperature
QH301
arable land
13. Climate action
maternal characteristics
population dynamics
roe deer
Bialowieza primeval forest
Animal Science and Zoology
wild boar
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
SDG 15 - Life on Land
DOI:
10.1007/s13364-013-0153-x
Publication Date:
2013-06-28T11:53:07Z
AUTHORS (3)
ABSTRACT
Population densities of large herbivores are determined by the diverse effects of density-dependent and independent environmental factors. In this study, we used the official 1998-2003 inventory data on ungulate numbers from 462 forest districts and 23 national parks across Poland to determine the roles of various environmental factors in shaping country-wide spatial patterns of ungulate abundances. Spatially explicit generalized additive mixed models showed that different sets of environmental variables explained 39 to 50 % of the variation in red deer Cervus elaphus, wild boar Sus scrofa, and roe deer Capreolus capreolus abundances. For all of the studied species, low forest cover and the mean January temperature were the most important factors limiting their numbers. Woodland cover above 40-50 % held the highest densities for these species. Wild boar and roe deer were more numerous in deciduous or mixed woodlands within a matrix of arable land. Furthermore, we found significant positive effects of marshes and water bodies on wild boar abundances. A juxtaposition of obtained results with ongoing environmental changes (global warming, increase in forest cover) may indicate future growth in ungulate distributions and numbers.
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