Experimental evidence for density-dependence of home-range size in roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus L.): a comparison of two long-term studies

Radio-telemetry was used to investigate the home range and den characteristics of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) from three sites in the monsoonal tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia. Radio-tracking was conducted in a series of discontinuous 4–17-day sessions, over a 2-year period. The home ranges of 61 C. penicillatus were estimated using the minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel (K95% and K50%) methods. There were no significant differences in home-range size among the three sites or between wet and dry seasons, which suggests that vegetation structure, floristics and season play relatively little role in movements of C. penicillatus. The mean home-range size was 0.79 ± 0.09 ha (MCP estimate) to 0.97 ± 0.12 ha (K95% estimate). The home ranges of males were larger than those of females (mean MCP estimates of 1.07 ± 0.15 and 0.45 ± 0.06 ha respectively). C. penicillatus denned primarily in fallen logs and in hollows of eucalypts and bloodwoods (Corymbia spp.). Rough-barked trees appeared to be preferred. The diameter at breast height (DBH) of den trees varied significantly between the three sites, being greatest at site C1 (34.5 ± 2.4 cm) and least at site C2 (26.1 ± 1.0 cm). Den trees had larger DBH than randomly selected trees at each site. The diameter at the mid-point (DMP) of both den and randomly selected logs were not significantly different between sites. Many individuals used more than one den site per tracking session. The small home ranges of C. penicillatus and its reliance on hollows in trees and logs suggest that this species is very vulnerable to local extinction following long-term annual and destructive fire regimes and land clearing, even in comparatively small patches.

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What shapes intra-specific variation in home range size? A case study of female roe deer

Oikos ◽

10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.17346.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 118 (9) ◽

pp. 1299-1306 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Sonia Saïd ◽

Jean-Michel Gaillard ◽

Olivier Widmer ◽

François Débias ◽

Gilles Bourgoin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Roe Deer ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Specific Variation

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Seasonality, weather and climate affect home range size in roe deer across a wide latitudinal gradient within Europe

Journal of Animal Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2656.12105 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 82 (6) ◽

pp. 1326-1339 ◽

Cited By ~ 85

Author(s):

Nicolas Morellet ◽

Christophe Bonenfant ◽

Luca Börger ◽

Federico Ossi ◽

Francesca Cagnacci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Latitudinal Gradient ◽

Roe Deer ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Weather And Climate

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Daily, seasonal, and annual variations in individual home-range overlap of two sympatric species of deer

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2014-0045 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (10) ◽

pp. 853-859 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Emmanuelle Richard ◽

Sonia Saïd ◽

Jean-Luc Hamann ◽

Jean-Michel Gaillard

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Home Range ◽

Red Deer ◽

Species Differences ◽

Roe Deer ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Home Range Overlap ◽

Range Overlap

Behavioural tactics of animals are determined by both environmental and social factors. Among nonmigratory ungulates, most home-range studies focused either on the effect of environmental variables on home-range size or on the overlap between home ranges of different individuals. Here, as rarely in previous studies, we aim to identify the dynamics of the home range of a given individual, involving variation in home-range size and home-range overlap between periods, for two resident populations of contrasting species: red deer (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus (L., 1758)). In both species, yearly and seasonal home-range fidelity was high and constant (mean of 64% in red deer and mean of 66% in roe deer), possibly because of benefits accruing from knowledge of spatial distribution of food resources and refugia. Home range in winter, when food availability was low, was larger than other seasonal home ranges for both species. Differences in body size between red deer and roe deer accounted for observed between-species differences in space use, especially when the species were active at night. Our study clearly demonstrates that patterns of variation in home-range size are similar; however, between-species differences in body size lead to differential patterns of home-range size and fidelity.

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