Thesis (M.S.)--Washington State University, 2004. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 22, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-24).

This diploma thesis was based on frequently discussed topic of population density in hoofed game. The monitored area is in the south-west of Bohemia, in Hartmanice. The greater part of the territory extends into the conservation area and a smaller part od the Šumava National park, with this work focusing on the population density of roe deer. To determine population densities, two methods were used, one direct method and one indirect method. For the direct method, a census method was used for the roe deer from a high seat and the indirect method, a method of counting droppings was used on a sample of regulary cleaned surfaces. Counting was carried out on transects of 200 m2 (100 x 2 m) or (50 x 4 m). The present results indicate that the population of roe deer is seeing a long downward trend. Most roe deer prefer the brushwood at lower altitudes, at an altitude of 525 to 650 m above sea level (asl), with less occuring in the positions of the altitude of 950 to 1125 m asl. The habitat least preferred by roe deer was forests aged 81 years and older.

Jordens biologiska mångfald minskar i en allt snabbare takt, men mitt i denna ekologiska katastrof börjar arter på vissa håll att återkomma. De stora rovdjuren i Europa är ett sådant exempel. Från att ha varit försvunna från stora delar av sina utbredningsområden är de flesta populationer numera stabila eller ökande. I Skandinavien har lodjurspopulationen expanderat och efter närmare 100 års reproduktiv frånvaro förekommer åter föryngringar i Sydsverige. I Östergötland finns i dagsläget ca 50–55 individer och mycket tyder på att stammen kommer att fortsätta öka. Genom att sammanställa och analysera data från inventeringsrapporter, observationsloggar och avskjutningsstatistik har jag undersökt lodjurspopulationens utveckling i Östergötland och beräknat länets bärkraft för lo. Beräkningen av bärkraften har utgått från klövviltförekomsten samt mängden lämpligt habitat. Resultaten visar att Östergötland har gott om lämpligt habitat och en hög bytesdensitet, som är jämförbar med flera lodjurstäta områden i Europa. Givet dessa förutsättningar har Östergötland en bärkraft för lo som ligger långt över dagens populationsnivå. Uppskattningsvis kan Östergötland hålla mellan 80–140 självständiga individer. Detta skulle innebära en fördubbling av dagens antal och kunna leda till såväl positiva som negativa konsekvenser för samhället. Lodjur kan innebära ett hot mot tamboskap, men de senaste årens rapportering visar att angreppen orsakade av lodjur är begränsade. Även påverkan på klövviltstammarna är i dagsläget försumbar. På sikt skulle dock en större lodjurspopulation kunna reglera klövviltet och på så vis minska mängden trafikolyckor och skador på skog. / Global biological diversity is declining at rates comparable to historic mass extinction events. Despite this, some species are returning to their former ranges, an example being the great carnivores in Europe. After being driven to the verge of extinction, most of today’s populations have recovered to a stable level. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) has re-expanded its range in Scandinavia and, after almost 100 years, is once again reproducing in southern Sweden. There are currently about 50-55 individuals in Östergötland county, and many factors implies that their number will continue to grow. By collecting and analysing data from different governmental reports and other sources I have tried to cover the development of Östergötland’s lynx population and to calculate the carrying capacity. The calculations are based on ungulate densities and amount of suitable habitat. The results of the study show that Östergötland contains a large amount of connected woodland habitat and high densities of prey, comparable to regions in Europe with high occurrence of lynx. Given these circumstances Östergötland has the capacity to support approximately 80-140 independent individuals. These numbers are twice as large as today’s population level and if reached could lead to positive as well as negative consequences for society. The lynx is a known threat to livestock but reports from recent years suggests that lynx attacks on sheep in Östergötland are limited. The effects of the current lynx population on ungulate demographics are also negligible. Although, these effects might increase with a larger lynx population, leading to lower rates of vehicle collisions and less damage in the forestry sector.

Att använda sig av viltkameror är ett bra verktyg vid inventering av djur, speciellt för skygga arter som till exempel lodjur. I Sverige baseras lodjursinventering genom spårning i snö, men då varmare vintrar har gjort det svårt kan inventering genom viltkameror ersätta denna metod. I denna studie har 165 kamerapositioner från mellersta Sverige undersökts. Syftet med studien var att se om någon av faktorerna; väg, avverkad skog, blockmark, byggnader, tidigare spårningar, doftstation samt kadaver hade något samband med att fånga lodjursbesök på foto/film, då detta kan ge bättre och effektivare metoder vid lodjursinventering. Koordinaterna över de olika kamerapositionerna har lagts in i ett GIS-program. Utifrån olika buffertzoner runt varje kameraposition, 50 - 500 meter i radie har de olika faktorerna kunnat urskiljas, det vill säga om faktorn fanns eller inte fanns inom kameraområdet. Doftstation samt kadaver var redan en fast faktor för vissa kamerapositioner. Studien visar att det finns ett samband mellan lodjursbesök och doftstation (Chi2 6,606; P<0,05), med större sannolikhet att få ett lodjursbesök vid en kameraplats med doftstation än utan (figur 5). Resultatet visar vikten i att använda sig av lockmedel då syftet är att fånga lodjur på foto eller film, då detta ökar chansen att lodjuret går framför kameran och bilden tas. Resterande faktorer verkar inte ha en påverkan i att få lodjursbesök på bild.

Information about large mammals in Turkey usually does not go further than species lists or annual counts of particular species such as the wild goat. Camera trapping is a very useful technique to overcome this deficiency by gathering information about species presence, numbers, habitat use and behavior. Hence, a one year long camera trap study was conducted to demonstrate the diversity, activity, distribution patterns, habitat preferences and interspecific interactions of medium and large mammals in a 148 km2 large pine woodland near Ankara. Brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), golden jackal (Canis aureus), jungle cat (Felis chaus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian badger (Meles meles), stone marten (Martes foina), red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), brown hare (Lepus europaeus), Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) and southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) were the 13 mammal species captured during the study. Spatial segregation was observed among canid species indicating intraguild competition and competitive exclusion. Prey-predator interactions were documented at both spatial and temporal scales between wolves, deer and wild boars. Red deer showed seasonal and sex differences in activity patterns that appeared to be influenced by wolf predation risk. The presence of two felids unknown to the local people were revealed by camera trapping, showing the utility of this technique for such secretive and rare species. However, the low encounter rates for particular species such as lynx, brown bear and jungle cat indicated the importance of the length of study. Based on various evidence, resident adult population sizes were estimated for wolf (2-5), Eurasian lynx (2-4), brown bear (0-2) and jungle cat (2-3). The study showed that lynx can exist in high densities in a relatively small area when prey species are abundant. This study area hosted a rich mammal fauna in spite of human activities such as livestock grazing, logging and hunting. A relatively intact ecosystem, high altitudinal and habitat diversity, and a positive attitude of local people are believed to be the reasons of this observed high diversity.

The abundance and population density of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) were studied during two winters 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 in the in Beskydy and Kysuce protected landscape areas in the West Carpathians in the Czech-Slovak borderline. A combination of camera trapping, photographic capture-mark-recapture (CMR) and simultaneously conducted snow tracking revealed 11 independent lynx in both seasons in the total area of 1500 km2 and overall population density of 0.7 lynx/100 km2. High population turnover of 54.5% was documented between the two winters, indicating a strong anthropogenic pressure at the edge of the West Carpathian population. The main prey of Eurasian lynx in winter was a roe deer (81%) and red deer (16%). The occurrence of wolves (Canis lupus) was considered to be sporadic and probably limited to only a few individuals. The nearest reproductive packs were documented at a distance of 10--50 km from the Czech border in the Slovak Carpathians.

Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) is included in the IUCN. It was extirpated in the Czech Republic at the beginning of the 19th century and is found thanks to the reintroduction since 1980 in the Czech Republic again. It is only wild feline in the Czech Republic. Lynx population has lost its growing trend and is decreasing mainly due to poaching. The project ?Support of public opinion about European lynx (Lynx lynx) in children and youth in the region Prachaticko? was created as a precaution against poaching. The project involved over 275 children and students. They gained new information through the teaching program in school subjects Biology, Art and Gymnastics and they made your own opinion about Lynx. Lynx is only carnivorous animal, which was and still is part of the Bohemian Forest.

Der Gelbkörper (corpus luteum, CL) ist eine transitorische Drüse, die im Ovar nach der Ovulation gebildet wird und durch ihre Progesteron-(P4)-Produktion die Trächtigkeit unterstützt. Bei allen bisher untersuchten Säugetieren endet die sekretorische Aktivität der CL mit dem Ende der Trächtigkeit oder Laktation, danach werden die CL abgebaut. Der Zyklus von Katzenartigen, wie etwa der Hauskatze, folgt dem gleichen Muster. Anders verläuft der Zyklus bei Luchsen. Beim Eurasischen Luchs (Lynx lynx) und beim Pardelluchs (Lynx pardinus) persistieren die CL nach der Geburt für mehr als zwei Jahre und sezernieren weiter P4. Die vorgestellte Arbeit sollte die Funktion persistierender (per) CL im Luchs untersuchen und die Fortpflanzung von Katzen weiter aufklären. Dazu wurden grundlegende histologische und hormonelle Aspekte der Lutealphase analysiert und der Einfluss des apoptotischen Systems sowie die Rezeptivität gegenüber Steroiden bei der Regulation der CL-Funktion betrachtet. Die CL von Hauskatzen und Luchsen wurden histomorphologisch unterteilt. In allen Proben wurden intraluteales P4 und Östrogene bestimmt. Weiterhin wurde die mRNA- und, wenn möglich, die Proteinexpression der proapoptotischen Faktoren BAX, Caspase-3, FAS, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), TNF Rezeptor 1 (TNFRSFA1) und der Überlebensfaktoren (BCL2, TNFRSFB1), sowie des Progesteronrezeptors (PGR), der PGR-Membrankomponente (PGRMC) 1 und 2, des Östrogenrezeptors (ESR) 1 und 2, des G-Protein-gekoppelten Östrogenrezeptors 1 (GPER1) und des Androgenrezeptors (AR) gemessen. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass die Lutealphase der Hauskatze durch FAS, Caspase-3 und die TNF Rezeptoren 1 und 2 reguliert sein könnte. Steroide könnten über ihre Rezeptoren PGR, PGRMC1 und PGRMC2, ESR1 und AR wirken. Die physiologische Persistenz der CL beim Luchs könnte über BCL2, FAS, TNFRSFB1, PGRMC1, PGRMC2, ESR1, GPER1 und AR vermittelt werden. / Corpus luteum (CL) is a transitory gland which forms in the ovary after ovulation and supports the pregnancy with its production of progesterone (P4). In all mammals studied so far, the CL loses its secretory activity after pregnancy and regresses from the ovary. The feline luteal cycle follows the same pattern, and CL of the domestic cat functionally and structurally regress after lactation. However, the story is different for the lynx. In the Eurasian (Lynx lynx) and Iberian (Lynx pardinus) lynx, CL persist after parturition, weaning and for up to two years, still retaining their ability to secrete P4. Current work was initiated to understand the control of unusual persistent (per) CL in lynx and to learn more about feline reproduction in general. For this, studies on the basic histological and endocrinological aspects of the feline luteal phase, as well as potential involvement of systems of apoptosis and steroid receptivity in the CL regulation were performed. Collected CL from domestic cats and lynx were classified based on their histomorphology. In all samples, intraluteal P4 and estrogens were measured. Moreover, mRNA and where possible protein levels were determined for pro-apoptotic BAX, caspase-3, FAS, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), TNF receptor 1 (TNFRSFA1), pro-survival BCL2, TNFRSFB1, and for progesterone receptor (PGR), PGR membrane components (PGRMC) 1 and 2, estrogen receptors (ESR) 1 and 2, G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) and androgen receptor (AR). The results suggest that the luteal phase of the domestic cat is potentially regulated by caspase-3, FAS, TNFRSF1A, TNFRSF1B, and by actions of steroids via PGR, PGRMC1, PGRMC2, ESR1 and AR. Physiological persistence of Iberian lynx CL might be mediated by BCL2, FAS, TNFRSFB1, PGRMC1, PGRMC2, ESR1, GPER1 and AR. Current work indicates profound differences between the CL function and regulation in domestic cats and lynx, and promotes a highly species-specific approach in reproduction studies.

The Bohemian Forest, a mountain range located in Central Europe on the border between the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria, has many well-known qualities. The areas of Modravské slatě moors and Trojmezná, are considered to be the most valuable biocenters in the Czech part of the Bohemian Forest. This Master thesis confirms the quality of these areas in a transboundary context Natura 2000 habitats and their representativeness. A new transboundary (European) biocentre is proposed and its importance for several species is discussed.

Diploma thesis analyzes the viability of the selected species populations in the Czech Republic. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The first part contains a stochastic model simulating possible scenarios of the Eurasian lynx population size in the Czech Republic. For this model program Vortex was used. The second part is focused on Time series analysis of the Grey Partridge and the Common Kingfisher population, where data was obtained from the Czech Society for Ornithology. This analysis aims on identification of factors that may affect the viability of the two bird species.