Modelling the Relative Abundance of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) along a Climate and Land-Use Gradient
by
, , , , , , , , , , , and
Caryl S. Benjamin
1
,
Lars Uphus
1,
Marvin Lüpke
1,
Sandra Rojas-Botero
2,
Maninder Singh Dhillon
3
,
Jana Englmeier
4,
Ute Fricke
5,
Cristina Ganuza
5,
Maria Haensel
6,
Sarah Redlich
5,
Rebekka Riebl
6,
Cynthia Tobisch
7,
Johannes Uhler
4,
Jie Zhang
5,
Annette Menzel
1,* and
Wibke Peters
8,9,* 1
Ecoclimatology, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
2
TUM School of Life Sciences, Chair of Restoration Ecology, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
3
Institute of Geography and Geology, Department of Remote Sensing, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
4
Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
5
Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
6
Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
7
Institute of Ecology and Landscape, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, 85354 Freising, Germany
8
Bavarian State Institute of Forestry (LWF), Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 1, 85354 Freising, Germany
9
Wildlife Biology and Management Unit, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2022, 12(3), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030222
Submission received: 16 December 2021
/
Revised: 15 January 2022
/
Accepted: 16 January 2022
/
Published: 18 January 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Ecology and Conservation)
Simple Summary
The European roe deer is the most abundant ungulate in Europe. Information on the number of animals and the factors that influence this are essential for the effective management of this species. We developed a model to estimate the pellet group density using transect surveys of dung pellets in the federal state of Bavaria, south-eastern Germany. We used the pellet group density as a proxy for roe deer relative abundance. Our results show that climate, habitat type and wildlife management approach determine the relative number of roe deer. Influential factors differed between seasons and were expected due to changes in food and shelter availability. Although recognized as a woodland species, the majority of roe deer are expected in agriculture-dominated landscapes, which shows their ability to adapt to a wide range of landscape types, especially those with high food availability. Higher numbers were also predicted in regions with intermediate temperatures. Estimates of relative number do not give the actual absolute number of animals but are useful in determining which conditions will have more or fewer animals and can provide information for broad-scale management recommendations. Our results also provide insights into possible future changes in the distribution of relative numbers of roe deer due to climate and land-use change.
Abstract
European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) are important given their economic, recreational and ecological value. However, uncontrolled roe deer numbers can result in negative impacts on forest regeneration and agricultural crops, disease transmission and occurrences of deer-vehicle collisions. Information on the abundance and distribution is needed for effective management. We combined distance sampling (DS) of roe deer dung pellet groups with multiple variables to develop a density surface model (DSM) in the federal state of Bavaria in south-eastern Germany. We used the estimates of pellet group density as a proxy for roe deer relative abundance. We extrapolated our best DSM, conducted a quantitative evaluation and contrasted relative abundance along climate and land-use gradients. Relative abundance of roe deer was influenced by a combination of habitat type, climate and wildlife management variables, which differed between seasons and which reflected changes in food and shelter availability. At the landscape scale, the highest abundance was observed in agriculture-dominated areas and the lowest in urban areas. Higher abundance was also observed in areas with intermediate temperatures compared to the warmest areas. Our results provide information on possible future changes in the distribution of relative abundance due to changes in climate and land-use.
