Spatial heterogeneity of winter forest resources used by deer

1999

S. 11-20

6 Abb. 33 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200063105

Monitoring red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) populations is a key aspect of wildlife management in Eurpe, so the utilization of resources must be soncidered. However, the spatial distribution of resources used has often been overlooked. We studied spatial heterogeneity of winter forest resources used by deer and applied an indirect method to evaluate the browsing pressure of these cervids in a forest of the Cévennes National Park (Lozère, France). We analyzed the pattern of browsing by principal component analysis (PCA) and graphical display. We demonstrated that heather (Calluna vulgaris), bilberry (Vaccinium sp.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica), which figured in more than 50% of the browsing observed, were unevenly consumed in the study area. Moreover, the deer consumed more beech outside high beech forest. Our methodology provides a helpful tool to monitor browse-ungulate interaction by taking into account the availability of key browse resources.