Abstract
Feeding behaviour patterns of European roe deer are well known but not in their southern range, where in contrast to Central and northern Europe the climate is characterised by mild winters, but hot and dry summer months. Spatial and temporal variations of the roe deer diet were investigated by analyses of 597 faecal samples in a coastal area in Italy. The aim was to evaluate the adaptive strategies of dietary intake to seasonal availability of different forage types in areas of fairly natural Mediterranean scrubwood and different areas dominated by agricultural habitats. A wide range of plant taxa (151 species/genera) was used, belonging to eight categories. A gradient was found from a diet dominated by woody plants and fruits in natural habitats to one characterised by cultivated plants in the agricultural areas. Usage of forage categories in areas dominated by woodland was proportional to their availability, whereas diet selection was found in the agricultural habitats, particularly marked in summer, the time at which food quantity and quality decreased due to harvest and drought. As to seasonal variation, the summer and autumn diets included more deciduous browse, whereas the winter diet was characterised by an increasing use of cereals and grass. In most areas, half-woody browse and fruit were preferred; grass and cereals were used less than expected by their availability. Most probably, selective behaviour patterns are linked to the difference of quality between plants together with their variable abundance, which is more evident in agricultural areas than in the woodland.
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the administration of the Maremma Regional Park, the Agenzia Agricola di Alberese and private landowners for permissions and logistic support.
I wish to thank S. Lovari for the supervision of my study and revision of the draft. Many thanks to I. Campana for her help in the field and in analyses of faecal samples of the woodland site.
Special thanks goes to B. Moser of the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL and F. Korner of Oikostat for statistical advice, as well as to members of the Plant Ecology and Systematics Section of the University of Siena, Department of Environmental Sciences, and to members of the Animal Science Department of the University of Florence for technical support and advice, in particular A. Chiarucci, C. Angiolini, F. Casini, C. Riccucci, F. Frignani, G. Bacaro, M.P. Ponzetta and F. Sacconi.
I wish to thank F. Ferretti, F. Meschi, L. Börger, N. Franconi and A. Gantz, who studied the spatial behaviour of roe deer in the Maremma Regional Park, for precious suggestions. I gratefully acknowledge L. Fattorini and A. Sforzi for help in the sampling design.
The suggestions and comments of two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the quality of the manuscript.
This study was financed by the Italian Ministry of Environment and the University of Siena to S. Lovari.
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Minder, I. Local and seasonal variations of roe deer diet in relation to food resource availability in a Mediterranean environment. Eur J Wildl Res 58, 215–225 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-011-0566-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-011-0566-2