Common carnivore species in the Czech Republic, such as fox, badger, marten, or weasel have not been recently paid much attention. This mammalian group is not easy to monitor but with modern technologies animals can be observed almost undisturbed. I collected data using camera traps in the Polabí region in Central Bohemia, about 30 km from Prague. I placed 73 camera traps in four different habitats (wetland; alluvial forest; mixed forest; and scrub grassland). Each habitat was represented by 3-4 localities in a fragmented landscape, made up of seminatural habitats and human-used areas. Over 366 days of monitoring I recorded 8 carnivore species, one of them non-native (golden jackal). None of the allegedly common invasive species in the Czech Republic (raccoon dog, american mink, raccoon) were found. The habitats did not differ in number of observed species, which is probably due to a low number of species found and the small size of the study area. Habitat preferences and seasonal and circadian activity in my study area generally correspond to the findings of previous ecological studies, but the novel aspect of my research is the robust, statistically analysed results based on long-term quantitative data. One conclusion I consider important from the conservation point of view is that most of our carnivore...

A study of the spring and summer habitat preferences of blue grouse was conducted on the Bear River Range in northern Utah. The main objective was to determine the important factors associated with habitat selection by blue grouse during the breeding season. One hundred and two sampling areas, delimited by similarities in vegetation and topography, were thoroughly searched with a dog for blue grouse. Fifty-four bio logical and physical variables were measured for each sampling area. Chi-square tests performed on all variables showed 11 of the 54 variables to be significant at an alpha of 0.20. These 11 variables (li sted below) were considered to be the important factors influencing habitat selection by blue grouse. (1) search area type (2) area exposure (3) elevation (4) percent forested (5) understory density (6) primary cover species (7) secondary cover species (8) percent cover maples (Acer grandidentatum) (9) percent cover mixed brush (10) percent cover sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) (11) total acres The chi-square test only determined if a variable significantly effected habitat selection by blue grouse. To determine whether this effect was positive or negative, the percent occurrence of areas on which blue grouse were present, or absent, was determined. Results indicated that the most favorable blue grouse habitat was draws at 5,500 -6.499 feet elevation. This favorable habitat contained 1-10 percent cover by maples, or a higher percent of maple which provided a large amount of edge effect; the presence of mixed brush or sagebrush, a medium understory, and an area incline of 5-19 percent.

The ability of an organism to disperse to suitable habitats, especially in modified and fragmented systems, determines individual fitness and overall population viability. The bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus), flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), and roundtail chub (Gila robusta) are three species native to the upper Colorado River Basin that now occupy only 50% of their historic range. Despite these distributional declines, populations of all three species are present in the San Rafael River, a highly regulated tributary of the Green River, Utah, providing an opportunity for research. Our goal was to determine the timing and extent of movement, habitat preferences, and limiting factors, ultimately to guide effective management and recovery of these three species. In 2007-2008, we sampled fish from 25 systematically selected, 300-m reaches in the lower 64 km of the San Rafael River, spaced to capture the range of species, life-stages, and habitat conditions present. We implanted all target species with a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag, installed a passive PIT tag antennae, and measured key habitat parameters throughout each reach and at the site of native fish capture. We used random forest modeling to identify and rank the most important abiotic and biotic predictor variables, and reveal potential limiting factors in the San Rafael River. While flannelmouth sucker were relatively evenly distributed within our study area, highest densities of roundtail chub and bluehead sucker occurred in isolated, upstream reaches characterized by complex habitat. In addition, our movement and length-frequency data indicate downstream drift of age-0 roundtail chub, and active upstream movement of adult flannelmouth sucker, both from source populations, providing the lower San Rafael River with colonists. Our random forest analysis highlights the importance of pools, riffles, and distance-to-source populations, suggesting that bluehead sucker and roundtail chub are habitat limited in the lower San Rafael River. These results suggest management efforts should focus on diversifying habitat, maintaining in-stream flow, and removing barriers to movement.

Detailed knowledge about the habitat requirements of butterflies is vital for successful conservation. The aim of the present study was to examine the habitat requirements of the endangered butterfly Scolitantides orion on 15 sites in Östergötland, Sweden. The requirements of adults and ovipositing females were studied with regard to several environmental variables measured at three scales; small, transect and large scale. The probability of finding adults increased with decreasing tree cover at the small scale, and adult numbers increased with the proportion of bare rock at the large scale. In contrast, ovipositing females mainly responded to the small scale. The main finding was that females oviposited in areas with higher tree cover (< 70 %) than that preferred by dwelling adults (< 20 %). However, there was a greater probability of finding eggs when tree cover was less than 50 %. Furthermore, egg numbers on host plants increased with the number of leaves on the stem and with the proportion of surrounding bare rock or bare ground. At the transect scale, females oviposited in areas with a higher density of host plants. To conclude, S. orion predominately inhabits open areas with warm microclimatic conditions for dwelling and oviposition. To conserve this species, suitable areas containing nectar plants and high densities of host plants with large leaf numbers and surrounded by large proportions of bare rock or bare ground, should be preserved. The areas should be maintained by selective clearing at regular intervals to uphold canopy openness and heterogeneity.

The thick-shelled river mussel (Unio crassus) is a red listed species classified as Endangered (EN) and is also considered within the Habitats Directive. The distribution in Sweden is fragmented and it is mostly occurring in the south eastern parts. We investigated the presence of Unio crassus in a section of the stream Storån, Östergötland County, from Falerum to the inflow into Lake Åkervristen. The environmental parameters investigated were water depth, bottom substrate, shading, water velocity and the slope over the water surface. In this thesis I have focused mainly on water depth and shading, comparing sites with and without mussels. In addition, I used a multivariate PCA analysis to evaluate all parameters together. The water depth was significantly larger in habitats with mussels than in those without. Shading varied from 5 to 80 %, but there was no significant difference between habitats with and without mussels. There was no correlation between water depth and mussel density and not between shading and mussel density either. The multivariate PCA analysis showed that the habitats with and without mussels were different from with regard to the PC1 axis, which included water depth, bottom substrate and water velocity. Alone, the water depth is not enough to predict the presence of Unio crassus in the stream, and it is likely that more parameters need to be considered.  Previous work indicate that the more parameters and habitats that are investigated, the more confident results can be stated of which habitats Unio crassus prefer.

Abstract MtDNA D-loop sequences and cranial morphometrics were used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of bharal (Pseudois nayaur szechuanensis) populations. The habitat preferences of bharal were also investigated in Helanshan, Ningxia. The results from the analysis of mtDNA D-loop sequences and cranial morphometrics were in accordance. Among all populations analyzed, the phylogenetic relationships between populations in Lixian, Sichuan and Helanshan, Ningxia were most distantly related, while populations in Dulan, Qinghai and Subei, Gansu were close to one another. No matter in summer or winter, bharal generally prefer to stay in meadows, but they would appear in forests and shrubs as well.

This master thesis deals with the potential of GIS to provide a sophisticated model of newt occurence that would allow an evaluation of appropriateness of state driven subsidies granted to build new water tanks. The main purpose was especially to show what parameters that determine presence of newts should be further implemented into the founding documentation of environmental projects aimed to support amphibian populations.

This thesis pursues amphibian biotop preferences in locations where moldavites were quarried in the past. Field work took place in two localities near Trhové Sviny. The first one is situated near the village of Slavče where an illegal extraction still occures,.The second locality is found by the village of Dobrkovská Lhotka. This locality was partially recultivated in 2010. The aim of this work was to establish which factors do influence different amphibian species in the both studied locations. There were found five various species of amphibians near the village of Slavče: the Common frog (Rana temporaria), the Edible frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus), the European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), the European tree frog (Hyla arborea) and the Common toad (Bufo bufo). The results were statistically evaluated. Based on them it was established that the Common frog prefers the herb layer, the European Fire-bellied toad prefers semi shaded medium sized pools that do not dry up. The European tree frog and the Edible frog prefer large areas of pools and ponds. More over the edible frog demands ponds that are partially overgrown. The Common toad was represented only with one single individual. Therefore a statistical analasys could not be executed. The whole locality is negatively influenced by local inhabitants who gather here manure and organic waste from their gardens. On locality located near to Dobrkovská Lhotka was transformed from a mining landscape to a pond and three pools. All amphibian species that lived in the locality before reclamation were still present here. Occurrence of Common spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus) was confirmed by the unique finding of a tadpole. Statistical evaluation was not conducted due to the small number and variability of monitored sites.

I studied habitat preferences of three common endemic butterflies in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. Assuming that the life history traits of taxa with limited geographic distribution reflect past habitat conditions within their ranges, the history and conservation of West African mountain landscape is discussed.

Knowledge of Wels Catfish (Silurus glanis) at its northernmost distribution area is limited on even basic behavioral characteristics, such as habitat preferences and activity patterns. It has thus proven difficult to aid the species in any predictable way. In a telemetry study on Wels Catfish, I examined habitat preferences, activity patters and site fidelity of ten adult individualsat their most northern range. Fish were surgically equipped with acoustic transmitters, frequently recording the position of each individual in a small Swedish lake. Wels Catfishpreferred deeper areas than randomly expected during the entire year, except for late spring and early summer. This indicates that spawning took place at shallow, vegetated areas in May-June 2019. Fish were highly active during summer, utilizing the entire lake. Behavior shifted during winter as fish became bottom dwelling with minimal activity, small home ranges and likelyminimal feeding. Wels Catfish had a nocturnal activity pattern during the entire year, but especially during summer. Fish preferred shallower areas during night than during day, indicating that deeper areas were used for resting and shallower areas for foraging. Lastly, home ranges were much larger than expected during summer, implying that S. glanis might be less territorial in small lakes than previously believed. In summary, conservation efforts should focus on protecting and restoring shallow areas with lots of vegetation and food items, adjacent to deep areas with underwater structures. These areas are important for the survival of S. glanisas they fulfill requirements for feeding, reproduction, resting, and hibernation.