Annual and circadian activity patterns of badgers (Meles meles ) in Białowieża Primeval Forest (eastern Poland) compared with other Palaearctic populations

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafał Kowalczyk ◽  
Bogumiła Jȩdrzejewska ◽  
Andrzej Zalewski
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Circadian Activity ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest

Facilitative interactions between the Eurasian badger (Meles meles), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and the invasive raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (12) ◽  
pp. 1389-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kowalczyk ◽  
B. Jędrzejewska ◽  
A. Zalewski ◽  
W. Jędrzejewski
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Nyctereutes Procyonoides ◽  
Raccoon Dog ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Facilitative Interactions ◽  
Raccoon Dogs ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest

Based on radio-tracking of Eurasian badgers ( Meles meles (L., 1758)), red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)), and raccoon dogs ( Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834)) and observations at burrows conducted in Białowieża Primeval Forest (eastern Poland) in 1996–2002, we addressed the hypothesis that facilitative interactions between a native (badger) and an alien (raccoon dog) species contributed to the invasion success of the latter. In winter, 88% of badger setts were occupied by both badgers and raccoon dogs, 4% by badgers and red foxes, and 4% by all three species. In summer, only 20% of badger setts were cohabited by other carnivore species (10% by raccoon dogs and 10% by foxes). Duration of occupation of badger setts by raccoon dogs averaged 117 days (SE = 21 days). Seasonal variation in raccoon dog use of badger setts was explained by changes in ambient temperature: the lower was the temperature, the higher was the rate of sett occupation by raccoon dogs. When wintering in the same sett, badgers and raccoon dogs used different parts of the sett. We conclude that facilitation by badgers (through habitat amelioration and refuge from cold and predation) makes the realized niche of raccoon dogs larger than predicted from their fundamental niche. The facilitating role of badger is stronger in winter, which is a critical period for raccoon dog survival in the temperate and boreal zone.

scholarly journals Daily movement and territory use by badgers Meles meles in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafał Kowalczyk ◽  
Andrzej Zalewski ◽  
Jędrzejewska Bogumiła
Keyword(s):  
Meles Meles ◽  
Daily Movement ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest

Spatial organization and demography of badgers (Meles meles) in Bialowieza Primeval Forest, Poland, and the influence of earthworms on badger densities in Europe

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafal Kowalczyk ◽  
Andrzej Zalewski ◽  
Bogumila Jedrzejewska ◽  
Wlodzimierz Jedrzejewski
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Annual Productivity ◽  
Temperate Europe ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest

From 1996 to 2001 we studied the spatial organization and demography of Eurasian badgers, Meles meles, in Białowieża Primeval Forest in eastern Poland, one of the best preserved woodlands in temperate Europe. Badger density estimated on the basis of main sett distribution (0.54 sett/10 km2) and group size (3.9 individuals per sett, on average) was 2.11 badgers/10 km2. Average annual productivity of the population was 64% and the mortality rate of badgers >1 year old was 22–38% per annum. The size of territories of badger groups (n = 7), estimated by radio telemetry, varied from 8.4 to 25.5 km2 (mean 12.8 km2). Individual home ranges of badgers (n = 13) covered, on average, 9.3 km2, and varied seasonally and among animals of different age and sex classes (from 4.0 to 24.4 km2). Home ranges of adult badgers were significantly larger than those of subadults. Badgers occupied larger home ranges in summer, when earthworm availability was low. The size of both group territories and individual home ranges was influenced by the distribution of oak–lime–hornbeam (OLH) forests, habitats rich in earthworms. Based on our findings and a review of literature, we propose that the standing crop of biomass of earthworms (Lumbricus spp.), the main food of badgers in a large part of their geographic range, and mean annual temperature are crucial factors shaping the densities of badgers in the European temperate and boreal zones. We also suggest that abundance of food resources is the essential factor underlying the great variation in badger sociality (from pairs to large groups).

scholarly journals The maturity index for Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) communities as an indicator of human-caused disturbance in selected forest complexes of Poland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Napierała ◽  
Jerzy Błoszyk
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
National Park ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Nature Reserves ◽  
Maturity Index ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Precise Evaluation ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest

AbstractThe necessity of monitoring changes occurring in soil compels us to look for new methods that will allow easy and precise evaluation of the soil quality in a given area. One proposed method is the maturity index (MI) – an index that is based on the distribution of species along the r-to-K continuum in examined populations. In this study, mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) were examined for their appropriateness in MI-based assessments of soil quality. The first aim of the study was to establish the criteria on the basis of which the evaluation of the r-to-K reproductive strategies was conducted for Uropodina in the examined communities. The second aim was to evaluate the performance of the maturity index of communities of Uropodina as indicator of human-caused disturbance in five areas that are legally protected in Poland. The selected areas were: Białowieża Primeval Forest, Gorce National Park, and three nature reserves: Jakubowo, Las Grądowy nad Mogilnicą, and Cisy Staropolskie im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego. We found that as many as 68 out of the 96 analyzed Uropodina species in Poland are K-stategists. The highest values of the maturity index were recorded for the nature reserves Cisy Staropolskie im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego and the Białowieża Primeval Forest.

Effects of administering cocaine at the same versus varying times of day on circadian activity patterns and sensitization in rats.

2000 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 972-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley White ◽  
Joram Feldon ◽  
Christian A. Heidbreder ◽  
Ilsun M. White
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Circadian Activity

Quantifying landscape change during the last two centuries in Białowieża Primeval Forest

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Mikusinska ◽  
Bernadetta Zawadzka ◽  
Tomasz Samojlik ◽  
Bogumiła Jędrzejewska ◽  
Grzegorz Mikusiński
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Change ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest

Influence of temperature on maternity roost selection by noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) and Leisler’s bats (N. leisleri) in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 900-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ireneusz Ruczyński
Keyword(s):  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Primeval Forest ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Roost Selection ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Maximum Temperatures ◽  
Białowieża Primeval Forest ◽  
Nyctalus Noctula

This study tests whether the temperature of tree cavities determines their selection by bats in Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF), eastern Poland. Using a data logger, I simultaneously measured the temperature in cavities selected by bats as roosts and the temperature in available but unselected cavities. The maternity roosts chosen by noctule bats, Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774), and Leisler’s bats, N. leisleri (Kuhl, 1817), during late pregnancy and lactation were warmer than unoccupied cavities, but temperature ranges in the two types of cavity did not differ. A logistic regression model showed that the mean cavity temperature during the night (2200–0400) and the minimum cavity temperature over a 24 h period were crucial for roost selection. This suggests that female noctule and Leisler’s bats selected roosts that promoted juvenile growth and used tree cavities that could save them energy while they were active because the cavity temperatures were close to the lower critical temperature of their thermoneutral zone. I also suggest that selection of warmer cavities minimized the bats' energy expenditure prior to emergence from the roost and that passive rewarming inside the cavity was an important factor in minimizing energetic costs of roosting by bats in BPF. Mean and maximum temperatures recorded near tree trunks increased with the height at which the temperature was measured (ground level, 10, 20, and 30 m), suggesting that bats can gain thermal benefits from insolation of the trunk by selecting highly placed cavities, as was observed in BPF.

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