Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the density and activity pattern of deer evaluated with respect to spatial scale-dependency

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
Mammalian Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This article was retracted on 01 November 2014

This article has been updated

Abstract

Anthropogenic disturbance modifies various ecological traits of wildlife. The magnitude of the effects will change depending on spatial scale. Therefore, for wildlife conservation, the effective spatial scale at which the disturbance has the greatest effects on wild populations must be determined. This study examined the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on two ecological traits (population density and daily activity pattern) of deer. We quantified the effects of land use (broad-leaved forest, mixed coniferous/broad-leaved forest, natural grassland, subalpine vegetation, forestry area, and agricultural land), hunting risk, and densities of feral domestic dogs and wild monkeys. The effects of land use were analyzed at various spatial scales and a model selection procedure (generalized mixed model) was used to examine significant variables on the two ecological traits at each spatial scale. Combinations of selected variables differed with ecological traits and spatial scales. The spatial scale of the best model was defined as the most effective spatial scale for each ecological trait. Deer density was affected positively by areas of natural grassland and monkey density, and negatively by areas of forestry, mixed forest and agricultural land at the most effective spatial scale. For the daily activity pattern, larger areas of agricultural land, smaller natural grassland areas and higher hunting risk reduced diurnal and induced nocturnal activity. The most effective spatial scale explaining population density was smaller than that of daily activity pattern. This study showed that agricultural land, forestry areas and hunting risk affected deer ecology as anthropogenic disturbance. However, each disturbance factor modified different ecological traits or modified both ecological traits at different spatial scales. Detecting the appropriate spatial scales at which anthropogenic disturbance should be managed is essential for wildlife conservation.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

References

  • Agetsuma, N., 2007. Ecological function losses caused by monotonous land use induce crop raiding by wildlife on the island of Yakushima, southern Japan. Ecol. Res. 22, 390–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agetsuma, N., Agetsuma-Yanagihara, Y., Takafumi, H., 2005. Ranging patterns of Japanese sika deer in a warm temperate forest of Yakushima. In: Research Institute for Humanity, Nature (Eds.), Annual report of “sustainability and biodiversity assessment on forest utilization options”. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, pp. 4–5 (in Japanese).

  • Agetsuma, N., Agetsuma-Yanagihara, Y., Takafumi, H., 2011. Food habits of Japanese deer in an evergreen forest: Litter-feeding deer. Mammal. Biol. 76, 201–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aiba, S., Hanya, G., Tsujino, R., Takyu, M., Seino, T., Kimura, K., Kitayama, K., 2007. Comparative study of additive basal area of conifers in forest ecosystems along elevational gradients. Ecol. Res. 22, 439–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, D.P., Turner, M.G., Forester, J.D., Zhu, J., Boyce, M.S., Beyer, H., Stowell, L., 2005. Scale dependent summer resource selection by reintroduced elk in Wisconsin, USA. J. Wildl. Manage. 69, 298–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baillie, J.E.M., Hilton-Taylor, C, Stuart, S.N., 2004. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A Global Species Assessment. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blom, A., Van Zalinge, R., Mbea, E., Heitkonig, I.M.A., Prins, H.H.T., 2004. Human impact on wildlife populations within a protected Central African forest. Afr. J. Ecol. 42, 23–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, M.S., Mao, J.S., Merrill, E.H., Fortin, D., Turner, M.G., Fryxell, J., Turchin, P., 2003. Scale and heterogeneity in habitat selection by elk in Yellowstone National Park. Ecoscience 10, 421–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R., 2002. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach, 2nd edition. Springer, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee, S., Price, B., 1977. Regression Analysis by Example. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corti, P., Wittmer, H.U., Festa-Bianchet, M., 2010. Dynamics of a small population of endangered huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in Chilean Patagonia. J. Mammal. 91, 690–697.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coulon, A., Morellet, N., Goulard, M., Cargnelutti, B., Angibault, J., Hewison, A.J.M., 2008. Inferring the effects of landscape structure on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) movements using a step selection function. Landsc. Ecol. 23, 603–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Environment Agency, 1984. Nature of Yakushima. The Nature Conservation Society of Japan, Tokyo (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, R.J.J., Hutto, R.L., 2008. Partitioning the multi-scale effects of human activity on the occurrence of riparian forest birds. Landsc. Ecol. 23, 727–739.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, J.A., Norris, K., Sutherland, W.J., 2001. Why behavioural responses may not reflect the population consequences of human disturbance. Biol. Conserv. 97, 265–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, J.A., Sutherland, W.J., Watkinson, A.R., 1996a. A method to quantify the effects of human disturbance on animal populations. J. Appl. Ecol. 33, 786–792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, R.M.A., Johnson, A.L., Francis, A., Hiscocks, K., Peace, A.J., 1996b. Changes in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) population density in response to forest habitat succession. For. Ecol. Manage. 88, 31–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanya, G., Aiba, S., 2010. Fruit fall in five warm- and cool-temperate forests in Yakushima, Japan. For. Stud. China 12, 184–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, DA, Agetsuma, N., Suzuki, S., 1994. Preliminary survey of group density of Macaca fuscata yakui in relation to logging history at seven sites in Yakushima Japan. Primate Res. 10, 85–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirao, T., Murakami, M., Iwamoto, J., Takafumi, H., Oguma, H., 2008. Scale-dependent effects of windthrow disturbance on forest arthropod communities. Ecol. Res. 23, 189–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hockin, D., Ounsted, M., Gorman, M., Hill, D., Keller, V., Barker, M.A., 1992. Examination of the effects of disturbance on birds with reference to its importance in ecological assessments. J. Environ. Manage. 36, 253–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurlbert, S.H., 1984. Pseudoreplication and the design of ecological field experiments. Ecol. Monogr. 54, 187–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Izawa, K., Kasuya, T., Kawamichi, T., 1996. The Encyclopedia of Animals in Japan, vol. 2. Mammal II, Heibonsha, Tokyo (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilgo, J.C, Labisky, R.F., Fritzen, D.E., 1998. Influences of hunting and the behavior of white-tailed deer: Implications for conservation ofthe Florida Panther. Conserv. Biol. 12, 1359–1364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kilpatrick, H.J., Lima, K.K., 1999. Effects of archery hunting on movement and activity of female white-tailed deer in an urban landscape. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 27, 433–440.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koda, H., 2012. Possible use of heterospecific food-associated calls of macaques by sika deer for foraging efficiency. Behav. Processes 91, 30–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koda, R., Agetsuma, N., Agetsuma-Yanagihara, Y., Tsujino, R., Fujita, N., 2011. A proposal of the method of deer density estimate without fecal decomposition rate: a case study of fecal accumulation rate technique in Japan. Ecol. Res. 26, 227–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kufeld, R.C., Bowden, D.C., Schrupp, D.L., 1988. Influence of hunting on movements of female mule deer. J. Range Manage. 41, 70–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucherini, M., Reppucci, J.I., Walker, R.S., Villalba, M.L., Wurstten, A., Gallardo, G., Iriarte, A., Villalobos, R., Perovic, P., 2009. Activity pattern segregation of carnivores in the high Andes. J. Mammal. 90, 1404–1409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markovchick-Nicholls, L., Regan, H.M., Deutschman, D.H., Widyanata, A., Martin, B., Noreke, L., Hunt, T.A., 2008. Relationships between human disturbance and wildlife land use in urban habitat fragments. Conserv. Biol. 22, 99–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, S.G., Knight, R.L., Miller, C.K., 2001. Wildlife responses to pedestrians and dogs. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29, 124–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mysterud, A., Ostbye, E., 1999. Cover as a habitat element fortemperate ungulates: effects on habitat selection and demography. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 27, 385–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, CM.L.P., Hansen, L.P., Brewer, P.A., Chelsvig, J.E., 1991. Ecology of white-tailed deer in an intensively farmed region of Illinois. Wildl. Monogr. 118, 1–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohsawa, M., Tagawa, H., Yamagiwa, J., 2006. World Heritage, Yakushima. Asakura Publishing, Tokyo (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Okabe, F., Agetsuma, N., 2007. Habitat use by introduced raccoons and native raccoon dogs in a deciduous forest of Japan. J. Mammal. 88, 1090–1097.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Presley, S.J., Willing, M.R., Castro-Arellano, I., Weaver, S.C., 2009. Effects of habitat conversion on temporal activity patterns of phyllostomid bats in lowland Amazonian rain forest. J. Mammal. 90, 210–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team, 2012. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, S.P.D., Hadidian, J., Manski, D.A., 1998. Population density, survival, and rabies in raccoons in an urban national park. Can. J. Zool. 76, 1153–1164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rovero, F., Marshall, A.R., 2009. Camera trapping photographic rate as an index of density in forest ungulates. J. Appl. Ecol. 46, 1011–1017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva-Rodriguez, E.A., Sieving, K.E., 2012. Domestic dogs shape the landscape-scale distribution of a threatened forest ungulate. Biol. Conserv. 150, 103–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweeney, J.R., Marchinton, R.L., Sweeney, J.M., 1971. Responses of radio-monitored white-tailed deer chased by hunting dogs. J. Wildl. Manage. 35, 707–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tagawa, H., 1994. Natural World Heritage, Yakushima. Japan Broadcast Publishing, Tokyo (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Takatsuki, S., 1990. Summer dietary composition of sika deer on Yakushima Island, southern Japan. Ecol. Res. 5, 253–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsujino, R., Agetsuma-Yanagihara, Y., 2006. Alien mammals, raccoon dog, feral dog, feral cat, and feral goat in western and north-western part of lowland forest on Yakushima Island inKagoshimaPrefecture. Jpn. J. Conserv. Ecol. 11, 167–171 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Willig, M.R., Presley, S.J., Bloch, C.P., Hice, C.L., Yanoviak, S.P., Díaz, M.M., Chauca, L.A., Pacheco, V., Weaver, S.C., 2007. Phyllostomid Bats of Lowland Amazonia: Effects of Habitat Alteration on Abundance. Biotropica 39, 737–746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zweifel-Schielly, B., Kreuzer, M., Ewald, K.C., Suter, W., 2009. Habitat selection by an Alpine ungulate: the significance of forage characteristics varies with scale and season. Ecography 32, 103–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wakayama Experimental Forest, Hokkaido University, Japan

    Naoki Agetsuma

  2. Research Institute of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

    Ryosuke Koda

  3. Center for Natural Environment Education, Nara University of Education, Japan

    Riyou Tsujino

  4. Hirai 343-1, Kozagawa, 649-4563, Wakayama, Japan

    Yoshimi Agetsuma-Yanagihara

Authors
  1. Naoki Agetsuma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ryosuke Koda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Riyou Tsujino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshimi Agetsuma-Yanagihara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naoki Agetsuma.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Agetsuma, N., Koda, R., Tsujino, R. et al. Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the density and activity pattern of deer evaluated with respect to spatial scale-dependency. Mamm Biol 79, 44–51 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2013.05.002

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2013.05.002

Keywords

Search

Navigation