Large herbivores in novel ecosystems - Habitat selection by red deer (Cervus elaphus) in a former brown-coal mining area

PloS One
Anke MüllerJens-Christian Svenning

Abstract

After centuries of range contraction, many megafauna species are recolonizing parts of Europe. One example is the red deer (Cervus elaphus), which was able to expand its range and is now found in half the areas it inhabited in the beginning of the 19th century. Herbivores are important ecosystem engineers, influencing e.g. vegetation. Knowledge on their habitat selection and their influence on ecosystems might be crucial for future landscape management, especially for hybrid and novel ecosystems emerging in post-industrial landscapes. In this study, red deer habitat selection was studied in a former brown-coal mining area in Denmark. Here, natural settings were severely changed during the mining activity and its current landscape is in large parts managed by hunters as suitable deer habitat. We assessed red deer habitat preferences through feces presence and camera traps combined with land cover data from vegetation sampling, remote sensing and official geographic data. Red deer occurrence was negatively associated with human disturbance and positively associated with forage availability, tree cover and mean terrain height. Apparently, red deer are capable of recolonizing former industrial landscapes quite well if key condition...Continue Reading

References

Aug 18, 2009·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Richard J HobbsJames A Harris
Sep 1, 2009·Journal of Environmental Management·C StoateC Ramwell
Jul 1, 1998·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·H Olff, M E Ritchie
Mar 5, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Christopher J SandomJens-Christian Svenning
Dec 20, 2014·Science·Guillaume ChapronLuigi Boitani
Aug 22, 2015·Science·Chris T DarimontThomas E Reimchen

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