engleski

INTERSPECIFIC INTERFERENCE BETWEN EUROPEAN MOUFLON AND AXIS DEER IN MEDITERRANEAN HABITAT USING CAMERA TRAPS

Using camera-traps we investigated the activity pattern of a European mouflon and Axis deer to see how overlapping patterns may relate to interference among species. Study was conducted during a 12-month period between April 2015 and March 2016 in area of total 800 ha. Study area was located in the western part of the Adriatic Island of Rab which belongs in eu-mediterranean vegetation zone. The major islands forest ecosystems are holm oak forests with black ash and artificially established stands of Aleppo pine, Maritime pine, and Turkish pine. The average annual air temperature is 15.3 °C, and the amount of rainfall is 1, 100 mm. Results of daily activity of two ungulate species can be described as a bimodal which is typical pattern described in most other ungulates species. European mouflon are mostly active during dawn and dusk, while Axis deer are mostly active during the evening, throughout the night until early morning. The obtained coefficient of overlapping for two species was 0.8 and indicate almost identical activity patterns. Further studies are needed to clarify whether this activity pattern is typical or it reflects a temporal niche shift, because impact such as temperature and/or tourism may also effect on animal activity.

coefficient of overlapping; activity pattern; ungulates; interference

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