The effects of habitat structure on red deer (Cervus elaphus) body mass

Jerina, Klemen (author)

In most mammalian species, body mass is one of the key factors affecting an individual's fitness. It is therefore important to know the causes of its variability. The present paper analyses the influences of habitat structure and other environmental factors on body mass in red deer. The research is based on data sets concerning 3,920 culled red deer from the entire Slovenia, which are geo-referenced within a kilometer spatial accuracy, and on 28 spatially explicit raster layers of population density, habitat structure variables (e.g. topography, land use, forest structure, roads) and other environmental variables (e.g. air temperature, precipitation, supplementary feeding). After controlling for sex and age of the individual and its date of culling, body weight significantly differs between population areas, most likely as a result of genotype differences and genotype impact on the phenotype, and is also negatively dependent upon population density and the percentage of conifers and positively dependent upon annual mean air temperature and forest/meadow edge density. The stated environmental factors probably influence the achieved energy balance and, therefore, the body mass of red deer by conditioning the quantity and quality of food and energy expenditure of deer.

• Language: English
• Keywords: red deer, body weight, habitat, evironmental factors, population density, forest edge, conifer, temperature, Slovenia
• Work type: Scientific work
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Year: 2007
• Number of pages: Str. 3-13
• Numbering: Št. 82
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-28807
• UDC: 630*13/15(045)=111
• ISSN on article: 0351-3114
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1871782
• Publication date in RUL: 11.07.2014

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Zbornik gozdarstva in lesarstva. forest and wood science & technology
• Shortened title: Zb. gozd. lesar.
• Publisher: Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije, Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za gozdarstvo in obnovljive gozdne vire, Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za lesarstvo
• ISSN: 0351-3114
• COBISS.SI-ID: 6206978

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vplivi zgradbe habitata na telesno maso jelenjadi (Cervus elaphus

Abstract

Telesna masa je pri večini vrst sesalcev eden najpomembnejših faktorjev, ki vpliva na vitalnost osebka. Zato je pomembno poznati vzroke njene variabilnosti. V raziskavi smo celostno preučili vplive okoljskih dejavnikov na telesno maso jelenjadi (Cervus elaphus). Raziskava temelji na podatkih o 3.920 uplenjenih osebkih jelenjadi iz vse Slovenije, ki so georeferencirani s kilometrsko natančnostjo, in na 28 prostorsko-eksplicitnih rastrskih GIS-plasteh, ki podajajo populacijsko gostoto, zgradbo prostora (npr. topografija, raba tal, vegetacija, ceste) ter vrednosti drugih okoljskih spremenljivk (npr. temperatura zraka, padavine, dopolnilno krmljenje). Telesna masa se po kontroliranju vplivov spola in starosti osebka ter datuma njegovega odvzema značilno razlikuje med populacijskimi območji, kar je verjetno posledica vplivov genotipa na fenotip; poleg tega je negativno odvisna od populacijske gostote in deleža iglavcev ter pozitivno od povprečne celoletne temperature zraka in gostote gozdnega roba. Naštete okoljske spremenljivke verjetno vplivajo na doseženo energijsko bilanco in torej tudi na telesno maso jelenjadi s pogojevanjem količine in kakovosti hrane ter porabe energije.

• Keywords: jelenjad, telesna teža, habitat, zgradba habitata, okoljski dejavniki, populacijska gostota, gozdni rob, iglavci, temperatura, Slovenija