Abstract The grey wolf is the most widely distributed of all land mammals and is a habitat generalist that inhabits all the vegetation types of the Northern Hemisphere. Wolves also breed well and have the potential to rapidly expand to new areas. In Finland, the wolf is a game species, and as a result of Finland’s membership of the European Union, the wolf population is subject to very limited hunting due to the obligation to protect the species. Mainly for this reason, the wolf population in Finland has increased significantly in recent years. In particular, the birth rate has developed favourably and the number of litters increased from just four in 1996 to 20 in 2005. It also seems at present that the wolf population in Finland is no longer following the fluctuations in wolf numbers in Russian Karelia. The general aim of this dissertation is to provide applicable knowledge for wolf management and conservation purposes, and especially to examine the effects of human-modified landscapes on wolf population expansion in Finland. Various aspects of habitat selection were investigated in four sub-studies to gain a thorough insight into the space use and habitat needs of wolves. Species data came from a long-term wolf population study that included location information from 85 radio- and GPS-GSM-collared wolves from 1998 onwards, as well as track location data based on about 30 000 annual observations recorded with geographical coordinates by a local network of experts on large carnivores. I found that adaptability makes it possible for the wolf to live in the multiple-use, semi-wild forests of Finland and that no restrictions are imposed by the landscape on wolf population growth and expansion. In general, the results of my dissertation provide evidence that wolves tend to avoid the presence of human influence when establishing a territory and also when selecting their den site. However, as wolf numbers increase, conflict situations will more frequently occur between wolves and humans, although the risk of depredation events, for example among sheep farms, varies between farms in Finland. That is, there are some environmental and farm level factors that are associated with wolf depredation. The breeding wolf population in Finland has gradually expanded and the first litters have recently been born in western Finland after an absence of more than 100 years. The geographical distance to the Scandinavian population is shorter from these new western territories than from the population’s core area in eastern Finland. This could potentially increase the likelihood of dispersal from Finland to Scandinavia. / Tiivistelmä Susi on habitaattigeneralisti, jonka levinneisyys kattaa kaikki pohjoisen pallonpuoliskon kasvillisuustyypit. Sudet myös lisääntyvät hyvin ja voivat näin ollen levittäytyä nopeasti uusille alueille. Suomessa susi on riistalaji, jonka metsästys on rajoitettua Euroopan unionin jäsenyyden myötä. Lähinnä tästä syystä Suomen susikanta on kasvanut voimakkaasti 1990-luvun ja 2000-luvun alun aikana. Erityisesti syntyvyys on kasvanut: pentueiden määrä lisääntyi neljästä 20:een vuosien 1996 ja 2005 välillä. Näyttäisi siltä, ettei Suomen nykyinen susipopulaatio enää seuraa Venäjän Karjalassa tapahtuvia kannanvaihteluita. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena on ollut tuottaa susikannan hoidossa ja suojelussa käytettävissä olevaa tietoa ja erityisesti tutkia susikannan levittäytymistä ihmisen muokkaamassa ympäristössä Suomessa. Neljässä osatutkimuksessa on käsitelty suden habitaatinvalintaa eri näkökulmista, jotta saataisiin kokonaiskuva suden tilankäytöstä Suomessa. Tutkimusaineisto rakentui pitkäaikaisesta seuranta-aineistosta, jota on kerätty vuodesta 1989 lähtien. Vuosien 1989 ja 2010 välillä 85 sutta on pannoitettu radio- tai GPS-GSM –pannalla. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin hyväksi myös noin 30 000 vuosittain tehtyä jälkihavaintoa. Tutkimustulosten perusteella susi selviää hyvin Suomen monikäyttömetsissä, eivätkä maisematyypit itsestään rajoita susipopulaation kasvua ja levittäytymistä. Toisaalta tulokset osoittavat myös sen, että sudet välttelevät ihmistoimintoja valitessaan reviiri- tai pesäpaikkoja. Kuitenkin susien lukumäärän kasvaessa ristiriitatilanteet susien ja ihmisten välillä tulevat lisääntymään, vaikka susivahinkoriskin suuruus vaihteleekin Suomessa huomattavasti. Esimerkiksi lammastilojen susivahinkoriski riippuu sekä ympäristötekijöistä, että tilan sisäisistä tekijöistä. Kaiken kaikkiaan lisääntyvän susipopulaation esiintymisalue on Suomessa vähitellen kasvanut leviten itärajan tuntumasta kohti länttä. Tämän myötä maantieteellinen etäisyys Skandinavian susipopulaatioon on pienentynyt viimeisten vuosien aikana. Tämä voi edesauttaa susiyksilöiden siirtymistä Suomesta Skandinaviaan.

This study analyses the wolf (canis lupus) and human relations in Swedish landscapes. By addressing the change of ideas influencing land use and nature management during the time when the wolf was considered functionally extinct, two parallel realities appear that is shown to be something that the participants in this study relates and recognizes as their reality. These realities in turn can be understood against the background of environmental philosophy and the anthropocentric and eco-centric view of nature and the instrumental and intrinsic value that the nature may carry. Life story interview is used as a method to grasp these details in an individual’s perception of the wolf and nature. Since the wolf is considered to be as a division between rural and urban people, the study also analyses how people sharing the space with the wolf is referring to these dichotomies and how they identify with their surroundings. With contradictory, data a new way of conceptualize this is suggested: that urbanity and rurality is something that could be seen as performativity, something that you do rather than something that you are (Butler 2007). One might express identification with rural space but have an urban performativity i.e. working, living part-time, influenced by ideas represented in urban lifestyles. While the rural performativity is mirrored by living, working and sharing the ideas of how that landscape is used.

Bakgrund: Demenssjukdomar är en av världens största folksjukdomar. Sjukdomen karakteriseras av nedsatt kognition, perceptionssvårigheter och personlighetsförändringar. Samtidigt kan demenssjukdomen medföra sekundära symtom såsom depression och aggression. Dessa symtom kan uppkomma till följd av att individen upplever hot för sin identitet som därmed påverkar individens hälsa negativt. Sedan många hundra år tillbaka i tiden har hundar ansetts ha en positiv effekt på människors hälsa. I samband med att den medicinska vetenskapen fokuserade mer på läkemedlens botande möjlighet hamnade djurens effekt i skuggan. Idag kan hundar användas som behandlingstillägg inom många olika områden och som olika behandlingsformer.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att belysa hundens betydelse som resurs för att främja god hälsa hos personer med demenssjukdom. Metod: En litteraturöversikt har genomförts i detta examensarbete, där det analyserades 10 vårdvetenskapliga artiklar av kvantitativ forskningsdesign.  Resultat: Resultatet består av fyra kategorier: hundens påverkan på psykisk hälsa, hundens påverkan på beteende, hundens påverkan på kognition och hundens påverkan på fysisk funktion. Minskad depression, aggression, förbättrad social kompetens och kognition kunde påvisas av interventioner med hund. Det har dock inte framkommit att antidepressiva läkemedel reducerades i samband med interventionen. En studie har kunnat påvisa effekten av hundar på fysisk funktion hos personer med demenssjukdom.  Diskussion:Hundar har genom sin närvaro en positiv inverkan på hälsan hos personer med demenssjukdom genom att dämpa symtom som sjukdomen medför. Lite underlag kunde även hittas för att hundar kan positivt påverka den fysiska funktionen genom att uppmuntra personen med demenssjukdom till ökad aktivitet. Dessa djur kan vara den enkla och eleganta resursen som Barker förespråkar för att främja hälsa hos personer med demenssjukdom.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden 2460 Viertelgemelksproben aus 16 hessischen Milcherzeugerbetrieben untersucht. 115 S. canis-Isolate konnten gefunden und auf ihre morphologischen, biochemischen und bei molekularbiologischen Eigenschaften untersucht werden. Die Isolate stammten von Viertelgemelksproben bzw. Tankproben, die zu einem oder mehreren Zeitpunkten in den Betrieben genommen wurden. Die Untersuchung der biochemischen Eigenschaften erbrachte 24 verschiedene Reaktionsmuster. Der Vergleich dieser 24 Biotypen mit einem S. canis-Referenzstamm mittels tDNA-PCR und 16S-RNA-PCR ergab eine völlige Übereinstimmung (100%) und damit eine sichere Spezies-Identifizierung. Zur Aufklärung epidemiologischer Zusammenhänge und zur Intra-Spezies-Identifizierung wurde von allen 115 Isolaten mittels PFGE nach Makrorestriktionsverdau mit SmaI ein DNA-Fingerprint erstellt. Dabei ergaben sich 21 verschiedene Restriktionsmuster. Von den 21 nach Makrorestriktion mit Sma I und anschließender PFGE unterscheidbaren Restriktionsmustern wurde je ein Isolat zur Bestimmung der Differenzierungsfähigkeit der Restriktionsenzyme Cla I und Apa I sowie der RAPD-PCR weitergehend untersucht. Für die Beurteilung epidemiologischer Zusammenhänge bei S. canis erwies sich die PFGE nach Makrorestriktion mittels Sma I als die differenzierteste Variante. Die mittels PFGE nach Makrorestriktionsverdau mit Sma I durchgeführten Untersuchungen der 115 Isolate zeigten, dass zu einem Probennahme-Termin gewonnene Isolate identisch waren; vom gleichen Betrieb zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten entnommene Proben zeigten z.T. deutliche Unterschiede, und bei Isolaten von verschiedenen Betrieben konnten keine Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen nachgewiesen werden. Aufgrund dieser genotypischen Eigenschaften der Kulturen konnte gezeigt werden, dass es sich bei durch S. canis verursachte Mastitiden um ein infektiöses Bestandsproblem handelt, bei dem der Erreger von Viertel zu Viertel und von Kuh zu Kuh übertragen wird.

I analyzed precision and accuracy of lactation data to reflect actual fawn recruitment for various levels of fecundity, neonatal mortality, harvest intensity, and hunter selectivity. I evaluated and developed a correction equation to adjust for harvest date effects on lactation detectability. I compared metrics of site-specific fawn recruitment (e.g., lactation rates, hunter observation fawn-to-doe ratios, and post-season fawn-to-doe ratios) among themselves, and to site-specific indices of carnivore abundance, for 18 properties across Mississippi and Alabama. Accuracy of lactation rates are compromised due to variation at minimal harvest intensity and insensitivity to change in fetal rate or neonatal mortality. Lactation data can be corrected for harvest date effects on lactation detectability. Hunter observation data are variable and poorly represent fawn recruitment. Lactation data are related to fawn recruitment and can be used to roughly estimate fawn recruitment. Carnivore abundance had neither a significant nor consistent effect on fawn recruitment.

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No description available.

Deer (<i> Odocoileus </i> spp.) are an important cultural and economic resource. They are the most popular game species in the United States and the number one driver of conservation funding. On the other hand, they also cause damage to resources including to the agricultural industry, private property and to humans via deer vehicle collisions. Many areas in eastern North America have experienced a decline in white-tailed deer (<i> Odocoileus virginianus </i>) populations over the past twenty years concurrent with changes in landscape, deer harvest strategies, and increasing and expanding black bear (<i> Ursus americanus </i>) and coyote (<i> Canis latrans </i>) populations. Most studies have addressed this problem at small spatial and temporal scales and in areas where predation was assumed to be limiting population growth. We evaluated white-tailed deer fawn recruitment both directly and indirectly at relatively broader spatial and temporal scales. We studied fawn survival on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, USA from 2008–2019. We used the Kaplan-Meier estimator, and Cox-proportional hazards models to assess annual survival and factors that influence hazard risk such as sex, weather, landscape composition and configuration and food availability. On Marine Corps Base Quantico, we found an increase in red oak mast abundance increases survival and probability of fawn survival was higher during the first interval of the study (2008–2010; 0.71 [0.52–0.96]; survival probability [CI95%]) than the last three intervals (2011–2013; 0.46 [0.30–0.70]; 2014–2016; 0.48 [0.35–0.66] and 2017–2019; 0.50 [0.39–0.63]). We also found that predation was the leading source of mortality. We assessed recruitment using lactation status from hunter harvest data collected by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries during a 22-year period in 30 counties in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia. We predicted lactation status as a function of landscape composition and configuration, oak mast abundance, weather, age, and predator detection rates using generalized linear mixed models. We found land cover diversity index positively and black bear detection rate negatively influenced recruitment. Age also predicted lactation status with middle-aged females (3.5–4.5 years old) having a higher lactation probability than mature (≥5.5 years old) age and young (2.5 years old) age class deer. Based on these findings, recruitment is likely to be greater in areas that are heterogeneous. Therefore, if an increase in recruitment is desired silvicultural practices such as fire and timber harvest could be used to permanently change land cover types. These silvicultural practices could also be used to increase the number of oaks on the landscape, and augment production of mature oaks as red oak mast abundance influenced fawn survival. Also reducing predation by manipulating predator densities could improve recruitment. Another potential option which needs further research, would be to reduce predator efficiency by increasing hiding cover for fawns. / Master of Science / Deer (<i> Odocoileus </i> spp.) are an important cultural and economic resource. They are the most popular game species in the United States and the number one driver of conservation funding. Conversely, they also cause damage to resources including to the agricultural industry, private property and to humans via deer vehicle collisions. Some areas in eastern North America have experienced a decline in white-tailed deer (<i> Odocoileus virginianus </i>) populations over the past twenty years concurrent with the colonization of coyotes (<i> Canis latrans </i>) as well as changes in habitat. Therefore, we aimed to determine white-tailed deer fawn survival rates and factors affecting recruitment across a large spatial and temporal scale. Recruitment is when an individual becomes part of the reproductive population. However, for harvestable populations, recruitment is when individuals can be legally harvested for the first time. On Marine Corps Base Quantico from 2008–2019, in Virginia, USA we found that probability of fawn survival was higher during the first interval of the study (2008–2010; 0.71 [0.52–0.96]; survival probability [CI95%]) than the last three intervals (2011–2013; 0.46 [0.30–0.70]; 2014–2016; 0.48 [0.35–0.66] and 2017–2019; 0.50 [0.39–0.63]). We also discovered predation was the leading cause of death and probability of survival increased with increasing red oak mast abundance. Over a large spatial (30 counties) and temporal (22 years) scale we examined fawn recruitment by predicting lactation status of female harvested white-tailed deer in the Appalachians Mountains of western Virginia. We found land cover diversity index positively and black bear (<i> Ursus americanus </i>) detection rate negatively influenced recruitment. Age also predicted lactation status with middle-aged females (3.5–4.5 years old) having a higher lactation probability than mature (≥5.5 years old) age and young (2.5 years old) age class deer. Based on these findings, recruitment is likely to be greater in areas that have a mixture of land cover types. Therefore, if an increase in recruitment is desired silvicultural practices such as fire and timber harvest could be used to permanently change land cover types. These silvicultural practices could also be used to increase the number of oaks on the landscape, and augment production of mature oaks as red oak mast abundance influenced fawn survival. Also reducing predation by manipulating predator densities could improve recruitment. Overall, we found diversity of land cover types, food availability, predators, and age influences population dynamics of white-tailed deer.

Coyote (Canis latrans) range expansion in the Central Appalachian Mountains has stimulated interest in ecology of this predator and potential impacts to prey populations. This is particularly true in the Ridge and Valley Region in western Virginia where white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations are restricted by low nutritional carrying capacity and are subject to two other predators, bobcats (Lynx rufus) and American black bears (Ursus americanus), in addition to an active hunter community. I address two primary objectives of the Virginia Appalachian Coyote Study: to investigate 1) spatial ecology and 2) population dynamics of coyote populations in Bath and Rockingham counties. I deployed 21 GPS satellite collars on 19 coyotes over 32 months. I estimated home range size (mean = 13.46 km², range = 1.23 km² - 38.24 km²) across months using biased-random bridges and second-order habitat selection at four scales using eigenanalysis of selection ratios. I developed a metric to classify social status of individuals as either resident or transient based on stability of home range centers over time. I found evidence for class substructure for selection of territories where adult residents had a higher probability of mortality in high productivity/high risk habitats, compared to subadults and transients that were restricted to less productive habitats. I collected scat samples over five scat surveys across 2.5 years and extracted fecal DNA to identify individual coyotes in a mark-recapture framework. I estimated coyote densities in Bath (5.53 – 9.04 coyotes/100 km²) and Rockingham Counties (2.41 – 8.53 coyotes/100 km²) using a spatial capture-recapture model. Six-month apparent survival was lower in Bath County (Φ_Bath = 0.442, 0.259 – 0.643; Φ_Rockingham = 0.863, 0.269 – 0.991). The Bath County population demonstrated persistence despite high mortality and the Rockingham population demonstrated boundedness with recruitment inverse of changes in density. Findings at both sites suggest density-dependence, and tests of territoriality, presence of transients, and territory turnover demonstrate a capacity for immediate local immigration in response to high mortality in Bath County. I suggest that landscape-level habitat management may be a viable strategy to reduce potential conflicts with coyotes in the region. / Ph. D.