No description available.

This master thesis is focused on GPS telemetry of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the Doupov Mts., the Czech republic. Positional data from 14 red deer does and 2 sika deer does was collected during the study period of April 2013 to February 2016. The main aim was to determine habitat preferences of does with the use of the very precise vertical differentiation of vegetation created by air laser scanning of the surface (LiDAR technology). The study examines the dependence of the average maximum height of vegetation nearby positions of does on the time of year and time of day. For the evaluation was used two-way factorial analysis of variance. The highest average height of the vegetation nearby does was found during the day and the lowest during the night. Does of red deer and sika deer occurred in open habitats particularly at night, where they were actively seeking for food and more closed habitats with higher vegetation during the day, where they could hide themselves. Focusing on a period of the year, the height of vegetation in the summer period without hunting was significantly lower than in the summer period with hunting. This could be caused by starting hunting season but also it might be a response to reduced quality of available grass by aging. The two does of sika deer were treated individually. Significant differences were revealed between both does. However they both were occupying habitats with the lowest height of vegetation at night during the rut season. The gained results can now be used to supplement information about ethology of red deer and sika deer. The comprehensive knowledge of ethology can be directly used in the management of these two species, particularly for hunting efficiency and subsequent reduction of their population numbers, particularly in the case of sika deer. However these results can be directly used in forest management in active protection of forest stands against damage by wild game.

No description available.

New Caledonia, an archipelago situated in the South-West Pacific Ocean has a very high biodiversity of which many flora and fauna species are endemic, and is therefore considered as one of the world hotspots for the biodiversity conservation. Sclerophyll forests, one of the five main vegetation types occurring on the island are mainly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis russa) were introduced into New Caledonia from Java in 1870. They have colonised all the biotopes of the main island, and represent one of the major threats to the New Caledonian sclerophyll forests. Currently, there is a lack of management tools to monitor the trends of rusa deer in New Caledonian sclerophyll forests. To test monitoring methods for use as management tools, six sclerophyll forests study sites were studied using direct census methods (i.e. spotlight count and drive count), indirect census methods (i.e. faecal standing crop method) and three indices (i.e. the faecal pellet groups index, the browsing index and the antler rubbing index). The faecal pellet groups index is based on sampling pellet groups in plots along transects. To ensure reliable data collection with a coefficient of variation of the mean number of intact faecal pellet groups per plot per transect of less than 20 percent, my study indicated that 15 plots per transect and 20 transects per sites should be sampled in New Caledonian sclerophyll forests whereas previous studies conducted in New Zealand indicated that a minimum of 25 plots per transect and of 18 transects per site should be sampled. The advantages of reducing the number of plots per transect and of transects per site is that it reduces the expenses (e.g. time, finance) and the bias due to data collection (e.g. fatigue, boredom and visual activity) which will improve the precision of the data recorded. Estimates of rusa deer density obtained from the census methods were not correlated (r = - 0.425, df = 4, P = 0.401) due to my small sample size. The reliability of these estimates is questionable because of biases. Previous publications have shown that biases are difficult to avoid when using direct census methods and that it is difficult to estimate the size of animal populations with accuracy and precision. The faecal standing crop method was subjected to bias because the estimation of the decay rate and the defecation rate were unreliable. These methods were not recommended for rusa deer management in New Caledonian sclerophyll forests. Of the three indices tested, the faecal pellet groups index and the browsing index based on unpalatable browse species were the most reliable as the confidence intervals of these two indices were small (i.e. from ±0.08 to ±0.11 for the faecal pellet groups index; from ±0.04 to ±0.27 for the browsing index of unpalatable browse species), and they also showed significant correlations with a subjective ranking of the rusa deer density based on expert knowledge (rs = 0.829, df = 4, P = 0.042 and rs = 0.829, df = 4, P = 0.042 respectively). These two indices appear to show the most promise for use as management tools, as they could reliably track local variations of rusa deer densities on the sclerophyll forests. These two indices could be used by wildlife technicians in New Caledonia to establish management plans of rusa deer populations which rely on participative management involving the stakeholders (e.g. hunters, forest managers, local communities). We believe that the faecal pellet groups index and the browsing index could be useful to monitor rusa deer populations in New Caledonian sclerophyll forests, and meet conservation and hunting objectives of the local population and authorities. Management tools such as culling and hunting operations will be implemented in New Caledonian sclerophyll forests where monitoring of indices I recommended show an increase in the deer population. Stakeholders will be involved in the implementation of the monitoring tools (i.e. indices) and of the management tools (e.g. culling and hunting operations, fencing) but also in decision making for the management of the rusa deer in New Caledonian sclerophyll forests.

This thesis deals with a data processing about growth and browse damage at check and comparative areas. The data is evaluated by the method used by Forest Management Institute in the process of creation of Regional Plans of Forest Development and it is compared with my own detailed monitoring according CERMAK (2006). The results are further confronted with game records, namely the spring game numbers and the number of annual hunting. The data about growth and browse damage were collected at 28 check and comparative areas. The total browse damage of trees in the forest district Loučná nad Desnou was 42.2 %. The most damaged and at the same time the most occuring deciduous tree species in the forest district are common ash, sycamore maple and rowan. In case of common ash (Acer pseudoplatanus) reachs the browse damage 73 %. Among the most damaged coniferous species is silver fir (Abies alba) with browse damage up to 85 %.

Loss of migratory behaviour in ungulates has been observed worldwide and invites new tools for managing the habitat degradation that results from these sedentary populations. We assessed use of aversive conditioning on horseback as a means of reducing grazing pressure and restoring migratory behaviour in elk (Cervus elaphus) at the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, which is an important wintering range. We conditioned elk by herding them daily in the direction of their historic migratory route and monitored changes in elk distribution and grassland biomass each year. After three summers of aversive conditioning treatments, summer elk presence on the targeted grassland had declined substantially and grassland biomass had increased. Although elk use shifted in the desired direction, we did not detect any longer-distance migration in targeted elk. Our research suggests that aversive conditioning on horseback can temporarily reduce grazing pressure on threatened grasslands, but is unlikely to change migratory behaviour. / Ecology

Understanding population structure and resource selection are essential for wildlife management and conservation. I assessed the population structure and resource selection of elk (Cervus elaphus) in central Ontario. I used fuzzy and hierarchical cluster analyses to elucidate elk population structure based on spatial data collected from 41 radio-collared elk. I assessed impacts of habitat quality on space use using the minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel methods. I evaluated resource selection by elk in winter, spring, summer, and fall, from December 2011 to August 2013, using resource selection functions (RSF’s). I used a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to evaluate resource selection functions and used Akaike information criterion (AICc ) to select the best model of 20 candidate models constructed a priori. Models included parameters representing resources known to be important to elk: elevation, aspect, slope, distance to roads and water, and habitat. Both fuzzy and hard clustering indicated that elk in Central Ontario occur in a metapopulation that includes 5 subpopulations. The largest cluster consisted of a core group of 22 radio-collared elk located in Burwash with several satellite subpopulations spread along a 50km long north-south axis and a small subpopulation to the west located in Worthington. Survival rates among subpopulations were similar ranging from 0.71 to 0.83; however, anthropogenic causes of mortality were predominant only in the Burwash subpopulation. Space use and density of elk differed between core and satellite subpopulations. Resource selection by elk differed by time of day and season. In all seasons, elk selected open habitats at night and more forested areas during the day. Elk avoided areas close to roads in spring, but selected them in winter at night. Elk selected higher elevations in winter and for south facing slopes in spring and fall. Elk displayed strong crepuscular activity patterns in all seasons; however, movements were limited in winter. Understanding population structure is important in order to develop appropriate management plans. My results support the conclusion that population structure can be reliably assessed using spatial data. Resource selection is a dynamic process that changes with seasons, as well as animal activity across the diel period. Resource selection should include time of day in order to obtain a complete picture of resources important to a particular species and to support the conservation of habitats used for various animal activities.

No description available.

A restored elk (Cervus elaphus) population in eastern Kentucky may be affecting ecosystem processes in a landscape composed of reclaimed grassland expanses and isolated forest remnants. Elk routinely select forested ridge-tops as resting and ruminating sites. These locations are characterized by sparse or absent leaf litter, trampled and diminished vegetation, large deposits of dung, and urine-saturated soils. In fall 2003, a series of fenced ungulate exclosures were constructed; 8 on highly disturbed forested ridge-tops and 8 on reclaimed grasslands. Soil analyses measured % moisture, pH, total nitrogen, total carbon, ammonium, nitrate, phosphorus, and major extractable cations in 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm cores. Litter depths and percentages of bare ground, vegetative cover, litter cover, and woody debris were measured. Sediment and water samples were collected monthly from sediment traps on reference and experimental ridge-tops. Studentfs t-tests were used to determine significance (p . 0.10) between treatments. Disturbed ridge-tops had higher soil ammonium (0.68 mg/kg, 10-20 cm) than reference sites (0.25 mg/kg) in spring 2004 and lower ammonium (0.72 mg/kg, 0-10 cm; 0.44 mg/kg, 10-20 cm) than reference sites (1.80 mg/kg, 0-10 cm; 0.94 mg/kg, 10-20 cm) in summer 2004. Total carbon was higher inside (67.57 g/kg, 0-10 cm) than outside (45.38 g/kg) of ridge-top exclosures in fall 2004. Soil moisture, litter depths, and vegetative cover were generally lower, while % bare ground was higher on disturbed ridge-tops. Sediment collected from traps averaged 2.21g/m2 inside exclosures, 2.86 g/m2 outside exclosures, and 0.39 g/m2 on reference ridge-tops. These data suggest that this reintroduced species is changing several attributes of the Cumberland Plateau landscape. The lack of a predator such as the gray wolf (Canis lupis) or cougar (Puma concolor) likely contributes to the development of habitual elk use of landscape features such as remnant ridge-top forests. Such concentrated use may create conditions for the colonization of certain plant species including rare natives and invasive exotics. Continued monitoring of high use areas is recommended so that managers can fully understand the long-term impact of the return of this large, gregarious herbivore, and that appropriate management actions can be developed to promote native biodiversity.

Agricultural crops are a food subsidy for wild ungulates that can bring animals into close proximity, facilitating disease spread. We used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the diets of elk and white-tailed deer in three areas in the Canadian prairies and calculated their isotopic niche breadth. Isotopic niche breadth was greater for deer than elk, indicating that deer are a generalist species composed of individual specialists with varied diets, while elk are individual generalists. White-tailed deer niche breadth decreased with increasing consumption of agricultural foods in early fall, but not on an annual timescale. Elk niche breadth did not change with consumption of agricultural foods. Agricultural sources were 40-80% of the diets of both species in all areas. Agricultural feeding may increase the risk of disease in elk and deer not only by increasing their apparent density at feeding sites, but also by subsidizing increases to their overall density.