Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A geostatistical approach to spatial density distributions of sika deer (Cervus nippon)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

Sika deer (Cervus nippon) cause serious damage to trees in Japanese forests. Browsing, bark stripping, and tree abrasion with antlers account for 50% of total wildlife damage over the past decade. The extent of forest damage depends on deer population density. We determined the spatial distribution of sika deer population density on Mt. Hiko (Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan). We also investigated changes in population density distribution over time. Determinants of population density were examined, with particular emphasis on the hunting cull. Deer densities in 1999 and 2004 were estimated by fecal pellet counts at 86 sites. We used kriging, a geostatistical technique that is a component of geographic information systems, to interpolate site-specific point data over large areas of landscape. Mapping procedures showed that high-density (≥30.0 deer km−2) and low-density sections of landscape (≤10.0 deer km−2) decreased in areal extent between 1999 and 2004. Contractions of high-density sections were attributable to intensive hunting. In low-density landscape sections, reduced hunting pressure allowed increased persistence of adult animals whose high fecundity led to population growth and higher deer densities. Landscape tracts with medium deer densities (10.0–30.0 deer km−2) expanded, adding further difficulties to the task of wildlife management. Given the scale of the problems caused by deer, it is clear that reliable estimates of population size across space and time are essential components of the wildlife manager’s toolbox.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akaike H (1974) A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Trans Automat Control AC 19:716–723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyer DG, Wright RJ, Feldhake CM, Bligh DP (1996) Soil spatial variability relationships in a steeply sloping acid soil environment. Soil Sci 161:278–287

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Graaf GJ, Marttin F, Aguilar-Manjarrez J, Jenness J (2003) Geographic information systems in fisheries management and planning. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. FAO, Rome, p 449

    Google Scholar 

  • Donald WW (1994) Geostatistics for mapping weeds, with a Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) patch as a case study. Weed Sci 42:648–657

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forest Agency of Japan (2006) Annual report on trends in forest and forestry. Japan Forestry Association, Tokyo (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gribko LS, Liebhold AM, Hohn ME (1995) Model to predict gypsy moth (Lepidoptera , Lymantriidae) defoliation using kriging and logistic regression. Environ Entomol 24:529–537

    Google Scholar 

  • Halvorson JJ, Smith JL, Bolton H, Rossi RE (1995) Evaluating shrub-associated spatial patterns of soil properties in a shrub-steppe ecosystem using multiple-variable geostatistics. Soil Sci Soc Am J 59:1476–1487

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hareyama S (1998) Protection measurement of sika deer around Mt. Goyo area, Iwate Prefecture. Ringyo Gijutsu 680:15–18 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heisel T, Andreasen C, Ersboll AK (1996) Annual weed distributions can be mapped with kriging. Weed Res 36:325–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holdaway MR (1996) Spatial modeling and interpolation of monthly temperature using kriging. Clim Res 6:215–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Igota H, Sakuragi M, Uno H, Kaji K, Kaneko M, Akamatsu R, Maekawa K (2004) Seasonal migration patterns of female sika deer in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Ecol Res 19:169–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda K (2001) Habitat and damage of sika deer in Fukuoka Prefecture. Bull Fukuoka Pref For Res Cent No. 3, Fukuoka (in Japanese)

  • Ikeda K (2005) Management of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Fukuoka Prefecture. Bull Fukuoka Pref Forest Res Ctr No. 6, Fukuoka (in Japanese)

  • Ikeda K, Iwamoto T (2004) An experiment in estimating sika deer density by the pellet count method. Mamm Sci 44:81–86 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaaks EH, Srivastava RM (1989) An introduction to applied geostatistics. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Ishizuka S, Iswandi A, Nakajima Y, Yonemura S, Sudo S, Tsuruta H, Muriyarso D (2005) Spatial patterns of greenhouse gas emission in a tropical rainforest in Indonesia. Nutr Cycling Agroecosyst 71:55–62

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iwamoto T, Sakata T, Nakazono T, Kaoka H, Ikeda K, Nishishita Y, Tokida K, Doi T (2000) Improvement of the pellet count method for the estimation of sika deer density. Mamm Sci 40:1–17 (in Japanese with English summary)

    Google Scholar 

  • Japan Wildlife Research Center (1997) Survey report of wildlife conservation management system in 1996: contract survey in Oita Prefecture. Japan Wildlife Research Center, Tokyo (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Japan Wildlife Research Center (1998) Survey report of wildlife conservation management measures in 1996: sika deer conservation and management planning in Miyazaki Prefecture. Japan Wildlife Research Center, Tokyo (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kondoh H, Ikeda K, Koizumi T (2007) Spatial estimation of sika deer population density distribution. J For Plan 13:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotani K, Ishii H, Matsuda H, Ikeda T (2009) Invasive species management in two-patch environments: agricultural damage control in the raccoon (Procyon lotor) problem, Hokkaido, Japan. Popul Ecol 51:493–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumamoto Forest Association (2002) Survey report of sika deer adaptive conservation and management project. Kumamoto Forest Association, Kumamoto (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumamoto Forest Association (2003) Survey report of sika deer adaptive conservation and management project in 2002. Kumamoto Forest Association, Kumamoto (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyushu Natural Environment Research (1996) Survey report of sika deer habitat distribution in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1995. Kyushu Natural Environment Research, Kumamoto (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Maruyama N, Koganezawa M, Kanzaki N (1996) Wintering range expansion and increase of sika deer in Nikko in relation to global warming. Wildl Conserv Jpn 2:23–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Maravelias CD, Haralabous J (1995) Spatial distribution of herring in the Orkney Shetland area (northern North Sea): a geostatistical analysis. Neth J Sea Res 34:319–329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mase S, Takeda J (2001) Spatial data modeling. Kyoritsu Shuppan, Tokyo (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Maynou F, Canan GY, Cartes JE, Campany JB, Sarda F (1996) Spatial structure and seasonality of decapod crustacean populations on the northwestern Mediterranean slope. Limnol Oceanogr 41:113–125

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKenney DW, Rempel RS, Venier RL, Wang Y, Bisset AR (1998) Development and application of a spatially explicit moose population model. Can J Zool 76:1922–1931

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of the Environment (2011) Wildlife statistics in Japan. [http://www.sizenken.biodic.go.jp/wildbird/simple/toukei/guide.html] (accessed 6 September 2011) (in Japanese)

  • Murakami T, Koizumi T (2003) Broad spatial scale study about the relationship between the appearance trend of clear cutting area and the distribution of new planting area damaged by deer browsing. Kyushu J For Res 56:101–104 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Murakami T, Ikeda K, Koizumi T, Kondoh H (2004) The relationship between age classes obtained from a stand description and the damage to new planting areas by deer browsing. Kyushu J For Res 57:127–130 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nesslage GM, Porter WF (2001) A geostatistical analysis of deer harvest in the Adirondack Park, 1954–1997. Wildl Soc Bull 29:787–794

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishishita Y (1999) Improvement of sika deer (Cervus nippon) population density estimation method on the basis of land use condition on sika deer. Thesis, Miyazaki University (in Japanese)

  • Odeh IOA, Mebratney AB, Chittleborough DJ (1994) Spatial prediction of soil properties from landform attributes derived from a digital elevation model. Geoderma 63:197–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oi T, Suzuki M (2001) Damage to sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) plantations by sika deer (Cervus nippon) in northern Honshu, Japan. Mamm Stud 26:9–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakai M (2000) Expansion of reforestation abandonment problem. Sanrin 1390:27–33 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto Y, Ishiguro M, Kitagawa G (1983) Information statistics. Kyoritu Shuppan, Tokyo (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakata H, Hamasaki S, Kishimoto M, Mitsuhashi H, Mituhashi A, Yokoyama M, Mitani M (2001) The relationships between Sika deer density, hunting pressure and damage to agriculture in Hyogo Prefecture. Humans Nat 12:63–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakata H, Hamasaki S, Kishimoto M, Mitsuhashi H, Yokoyama M, Minani M (2002) The examination of plural scenarios for the management of Sika deer population in Hyogo Prefecture. Humans Nat 13:21–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanimura S (2003) Advantages of spatial epidemiological approach for disease control and prevention. Jpn J Trop Med Hyg 31:237–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Tokida K (1998) The present condition of sika deer in the Kyushu district of Japan. Ringyo Gijutsu 680:27–30 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ueyama Y (1998) Measurement of sika deer damage in Hyogo Prefecture. Ringyo Gijutsu 680:23–26 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Uno H, Kaji K (2000) Seasonal movements of female sika deer in eastern Hokkaido. Jpn Mamm Stud 25:49–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uno H, Kaji K, Saitoh T, Matsuda H, Hirakawa H, Yamamura E, Tamada K (2006) Evaluation of relative density indices for sika deer in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Ecol Res 21:624–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ver Hoef JM (2002) Sampling and geostatistics for spatial data. Ecoscience 9:152–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Ver Hoef JM (2008) Spatial methods for plot-based sampling of wildlife populations. Environ Ecol Stat 15:3–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villard M, Maurer BA (1996) Geostatistics as a tool for examining hypothesized declines in migratory songbirds. Ecology 77:59–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wackernagel H (1995) Multivariate geostatistics. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Weseloh RM (1996) Developing and validating a model for predicting gypsy moth (Lepidoptera; Lymantriidae) defoliation in Connecticut. J Econ Entomol 89:1546–1555

    Google Scholar 

  • Yabe T, Koizumi T, Endo A, Seki S, Miura Y (2001) Home range of sika deer in the central mountains of Kyushu. Kyushu J For Res 54:131–132 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Research Grant from the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Research Council (project no. 18001, 22030) and from the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (project no. 201117).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kyushu Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kurokami 4-11-16, Kumamoto, 860-0862, Japan

    Hiroshi Kondoh

  2. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan

    Toru Koizumi

  3. Fukuoka Prefecture Forest Research and Technology Center, Toyota 1438-2, Yamamoto, Kurume, Fukuoka, 839-0827, Japan

    Koichi Ikeda

Authors
  1. Hiroshi Kondoh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Toru Koizumi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Koichi Ikeda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiroshi Kondoh.

About this article

Cite this article

Kondoh, H., Koizumi, T. & Ikeda, K. A geostatistical approach to spatial density distributions of sika deer (Cervus nippon). J For Res 18, 93–100 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-011-0326-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-011-0326-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation