Dolines and cats : remote detection of karst depressions and their application to study wild felid ecology

Čonč, Špela (author), Oliveira, Teresa (author), Portas, Ruben (author), Černe, Rok (author), Breg Valjavec, Mateja (author), Krofel, Miha (author)

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.

• Language: English
• Keywords: geographic information systems, digital elevation model, LiDAR, Mediterranean karst, Lynx (genus), wildcat, animal ecology, Slovenia, karst depressions, geomorphology, telemetry, spatial ecology, wild felids
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 14, iss. 3, art. 656
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136993
• UDC: 911.2:591.5(497.4)
• ISSN on article: 2072-4292
• DOI: 10.3390/rs14030656
• COBISS.SI-ID: 96110339
• Publication date in RUL: 27.05.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Remote sensing
• Shortened title: Remote sens.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2072-4292
• COBISS.SI-ID: 32345133

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.02.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: geografski informacijski sistemi, digitalni model višin, lidar, sredozemski kras, ris (rod), divja mačka, ekologija živali, Slovenija