@article{BobrowskiGillichStolter2020, author = {Bobrowski, Maria and Gillich, Benjamin and Stolter, Caroline}, title = {Nothing else matters? Food as a driving factor of habitat use by red and roe deer in winter?}, series = {Wildlife Biology}, volume = {2020}, journal = {Wildlife Biology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley}, doi = {10.2981/wlb.00723}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2373}, pages = {9}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Habitat use by cervids can have large effects on vegetation. Therefore, factors influencing habitat use are pertinent to ecology, nature conservation as well as management of forests and hunting. The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing habitat use by red and roe deer, Cervus elaphus and Capreolus capreolus, in the L{\"u}neburger Heide, Germany. We used faecal pellet counts as an indicator of habitat use and applied generalized linear models to conclude that habitat use by both cervids was largely explained by the availability of food plants. In particular, the occurrence of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and deciduous trees such as beeches Fagus sylvatica were of major importance. Nonetheless, red and roe deer showed preferences for different plant species, but for both deer, the presence of large trees and conifers, with exception of young Norway spruce Picea abies providing shelter for roe deer, was less attractive. Furthermore, the proximity of mineral licks was important for both cervids. Relative to roe deer, red deer showed a stronger avoidance of well-used paths. Surprisingly, landscape features such as distance to settlements and elevated hunting standshad no significant effect. Our study demonstrates similarities and differences in habitat use of two important herbivores of the Northern temperate forests. We propose that managers establish 'decoy' sites for deer: areas with a high proportion of ground vegetation and young trees of lower forestry value. This will serve to divert deer from valuable trees and thereby enhance biodiversity. These open stands could be interspersed with dense islands of young coniferous trees to offer shelter and should be distant to frequently used pathways. Mineral licks may help enhance use of these sites. Providing an attractive resource for both species of cervids is the best way to manage large herbivores in economically valuable forests.}, language = {en} } @article{GillichMichlerStolteretal.2021, author = {Gillich, Benjamin and Michler, Frank-Uwe and Stolter, Caroline and Rieger, Siegfried}, title = {Differences in social-space-time behaviour of two red deer herds (Cervus elaphus)}, series = {acta ethologica}, volume = {24}, journal = {acta ethologica}, number = {3}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, issn = {0873-9749}, doi = {10.1007/s10211-021-00375-w}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-1962}, pages = {185 -- 195}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Social-space-time-behaviour has developed very differently (e.g. a, loner, a herd, a pack) in the animal kingdom and depends on many different factors, like food availability, competition, predator avoidance or disturbances. It is known, that red deer are differently distributed in human disturbed areas compared to areas with less anthropogenic influences. But knowledge about the potential influence of human presence on social associations and interactions is rare, albeit differences may result in changing impacts on the environment, such as habitat utilization and feeding damage. Therefore, we investigated differences in the space use and social association of red deer. We studied two radio-collared herds of non-migratory populations in two study areas, which were comparable in landscape structure and vegetation structure, but differed in accessibility for visitors and the extent of their presence. Between the two study sites we compared the home range size, the differences in the extent of home range overlap within each study site and the space-time association (Jacobs Index) of individuals. Additionally, we present data on seasonal variations of home range sizes and social association all year round. In order to compare human activity in the study sites, we used the data from our long-term camera trap monitoring. The herd in the area with more human activity had significantly smaller home ranges and had greater year-round social associations in almost all seasons, except summer. We assume that smaller home ranges and higher association between animals may result in a higher feeding pressure on plants and a patchier utilization in areas with higher disturbances.}, language = {en} } @article{GillichMichlerStolteretal.2023, author = {Gillich, Benjamin and Michler, Frank-Uwe and Stolter, Caroline and Lorenz, Antje and Metze, Katrin and Tischew, Sabine and Rieger, Siegfried}, title = {Space-time interactions between free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) and grazing livestock on a fenced pasture}, series = {European Journal of Wildlife Research}, volume = {69}, journal = {European Journal of Wildlife Research}, number = {3}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, doi = {10.1007/s10344-023-01692-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-6467}, pages = {9}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Livestock farming, which produces milk and meat, is practised by nearly all cultures. But in addition to this, grazing livestock fulfils other fundamentally important roles, one of which is the maintenance of open landscapes, which in turn provides habitat for many rare plant and animal species. Whether wild large herbivores, such as red deer (Cervus elaphus), benefit from the management of the open landscapes is unknown, and there are conflicting views on the nature of the interaction between livestock and wildlife. To investigate this question, we studied interactions in space and time between red deer and livestock in an 787 ha fenced pasture in eastern Germany. First, we used faecal pellet counts to determine whether red deer were using the fenced pasture and whether livestock were using the entire available pasture. Second, we fitted ten red deer, as well as eight Konik horses (Equus ferus caballus) and eight Heck cattle (Bos taurus) with GPS-collars. These data allowed us to perform analyses of space-time interactions. The faecal pellet data showed that red deer did indeed use the fenced pasture and that livestock used the entire extent of the pasture. Further, we verified a neutral space-time interaction between red deer and livestock within the pasture. Thus, there was no indication of a negative effect of the presence of livestock on red deer inside the pasture. For these reasons, we recommend that low-intensity grazing by cattle and horses can maintain open landscapes without detrimental effects on the use of the area by red deer.}, language = {en} }