Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10174/20447
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Title: | Relative effect of food supplementation and natural resources on female red deer distribution in a Mediterranean ecosystem |
Authors: | Préz-González, J. Barbosa, A. Márcia Carranza, J. Torres-Porras, J. |
Issue Date: | 2010 |
Citation: | Préz-González, J.; Barbosa, A.M.; Carranza, J.; Torres-Porras, J.Relative effect of food supplementation and natural resources on female red deer distribution in a Mediterranean ecosystem, Journal of Wildlife Management, 74, 8, 1701-17, 2010. |
Abstract: | Supplementary feeding is a widespread game management practice in several red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations, with important
potential consequences on the biology of this species. InMediterranean ecosystems food supplementation occurs in the rutting period, when it may
change mating system characteristics. We studied the role of food supplementation relative to natural resources in the spatial distribution,
aggregation, and mean harem size of females in Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) during the rut. We studied 30 red deer populations of
southwestern Spain, 63% of which experienced supplementary feeding. Using multivariate spatial analyses we found that food supplementation
affected distribution of females in 95% of the populations in which it occurred. Green meadows present during the mating season acted as an
important natural resource influencing female distribution. Additionally, the level of female aggregation and mean harem size were significantly
higher in those populations in which food supplementation determined female distribution than in populations in which female distribution did not
depend on supplementary feeding. Because female aggregation and mean harem size are key elements in sexual selection, supplementary feeding may
constitute an important anthropogenic element with potential evolutionary implications for populations of Iberian red deer. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10174/20447 |
Type: | article |
Appears in Collections: | CIBIO-UE - Publicações - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais Com Arbitragem Científica
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