Density and distribution of red deer (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L., 1758) in relation to habitat structure and distribution of food sources was studied using simple faeces transects and monitoring plots during winter in a floodplain forest along the Morava River. Deer densities detected on monitoring plots and parallel simple faeces transects were comparable, so we used the faeces transects, thus enabling us to gather data from a larger part of study area. Densities of both species were relatively high (red and roe deer; 9.6 and 7.0 ind./km2 respectively). Red deer preferred forest stands with dense (60–80 %) cover and a diversified shrub layer (more than three tree species). Roe deer mainly used old stands of age 50–99 years with a high cover of canopy layer and conversely low cover of herb layer, dominated by bramble. A positive relationship between the distributions of both species was detected. Inter-specific spatial interference was not observed, despite their high densities in the study area.
Differences in weight, nitrogen content and diaminopimelic acid (DAPA) content between individual pellets within pellet groups were assessed in red-deer (Cervus elaphus) faeces. Mean pellet weight in winter varied between pellet groups in 82% of cases. A 10 pellet subsample movided a 100% likelihood of getting a representative sample whereas 5 pellet subsample a 99.75% likelihood. Between pellet variations in nitrogen content, within a pellet group were smaller and not greater than experimental error. However, DAPA content varied greatly within pellet groups.
Deer are an important limiting factor for the growth of broadleaved trees in the forests of temperate zones. Their influence on vegetation was extensively studied in various forest types; however, data from floodplain forest is missing. The aim of this study was to confirm following hypothesis: The regeneration of the young tree stands in floodplain forest under high deer density is impossible without intensive protection by forestry management. Our hypothesis was confirmed only partially. Thanks to high production, the floodplain forest ecosystem is able to compensate for the lost biomass, so the browsing does not prevent the growth of natural tree regeneration. On the other hand, trees from artificial plantations are much more attractive for deer, their browsing is much more intensive, mainly during winter and regeneration is not possible without fencing.
Roe deer diet was studied in the floodplain forest of South Moravia, Czech Republic, by analysis of faecal samples collected in six different parts of the study area. Woody plants were the main component of roe deer diet, and they were supplemented with bramble, forbs and grasses through the year. The composition of roe deer diet agreed with its foraging strategy and consisted mainly of browse. Floodplain forest is optimal for roe deer and offers sufficient food sources. Food sources from nearby fields have no influence on the diet of roe deer. The great potential of roe deer to influence the shrub layer is evident. The intensity of impact of roe deer was not affected by availability of other food sources in the floodplain forest. The impact of roe deer on woody plants in this habitat depended mainly on its population density. Therefore, protection and management of floodplain forest is related to the regulation of densities of ungulate species, and not on additional feeding.
The species richness of free-living vertebrates was analysed using mapping of occurrence within individual grid squares (12 x 11.1 km) over the territory of the Czech Republic. The data on species distribution were derived from recent distributional atlases published in the last 15 years, and the records originated mostly in the last 20 years. Altogether, 384 species of cyclostomes, bony fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals were included in this study and their presence or absence was recorded in 678 grid squares. The species numbers ascertained in the 523 grid squares situated completely within the Czech Republic varied from 92 to 259 species, with a median of 182 species. The first two principal components explained 44.9 % of the total variance and separated two main habitat gradients based on values of different environmental, topographic, and demographic variables in particular squares. The PC1 represents a gradient from urban habitats at lower altitudes to more homogenous habitats with dominant coniferous forests and meadows situated at higher altitudes. The importance of natural habitats (represented by broad-leaved and mixed forests, as well as by protected areas) and landscape heterogeneity increases along the PC2. Generalized Linear Modelling for each group of vertebrates was fitted using the number of species of individual vertebrate groups as a response variable and the first two principal components as explanatory variables. The species richness of all vertebrate groups except for reptiles is highly dependent on the PC1. The number of fish, amphibian, and bird species in squares decreases with increasing value of the PC1, i.e. it is higher in urban areas at lower altitudes. By contrast, the number of mammal species is higher in uninhabited areas at higher altitudes. The gradient represented by the PC2 is highly significant for species richness of reptiles and mammals, and the number of species of both groups increases with increasing importance of natural habitats.