20.500.12556/RUL-136993 Dolines and cats remote detection of karst depressions and their application to study wild felid ecology Automatic methods for detecting and delineating relief features allow remote and low-cost mapping, which has an outstanding potential for wildlife ecology and similar research. We applied a filled-DEM (digital elevation model) method using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data to automatically detect dolines and other karst depressions in a rugged terrain of the Dinaric Mountains, Slovenia. Using this approach, we detected 9711 karst depressions in a 137 km$^2$ study area and provided their basic morphometric characteristics, such as perimeter length, area, diameter, depth, and slope. We performed visual validation based on shaded relief, which indicated 83.5% accordance in detecting depressions. Although the method has some drawbacks, it proved suitable for detection, general spatial analysis, and calculation of morphometric characteristics of depressions over a large scale in remote and forested areas. To demonstrate its applicability for wildlife research, we applied it in a preliminary study in combination with GPS-telemetry data to assess the selection of these features by two wild felids, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and the European wildcat (Felis silvestris). Both species selected for vicinity of karst depressions, among which they selected for larger karst depressions. Lynx also regularly killed ungulate prey near these features, as we found more than half of lynx prey remains inside or in close vicinity of karst depressions. These results illustrate that karstic features could play an important role in the ecology of wild felids and warrant further research, which could be considerably assisted with the use of remote detection of relief features. geographic information systems digital elevation model LiDAR Mediterranean karst Lynx (genus) wildcat animal ecology Slovenia karst depressions geomorphology telemetry spatial ecology wild felids geografski informacijski sistemi digitalni model višin lidar sredozemski kras ris (rod) divja mačka ekologija živali Slovenija true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2022-05-27 12:44:35 2022-05-27 12:44:36 2022-09-15 04:14:34 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2022 0 0 16 str. iss. 3, art. 656 Vol. 14 2022 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 911.2:591.5(497.4) 2072-4292 10.3390/rs14030656 96110339 remotesensing-14-00656_(1).pdf remotesensing-14-00656_(1).pdf 1 90C132FE51AE57805AE28CD53640B821 ee476f53f710f41df8b68e7a14b23e8e6295b1251efa8d27cb87e34be9547387 19eb9178-ddaa-11ec-8aca-00155dcfd717 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=156832 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/3/656 0 de65dafa-dda9-11ec-8aca-00155dcfd717 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=156831 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0