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Garcia F, Alves da Silva A, Freitas H, Sousa JP, Alves J. The effect of COVID-19 confinement on the activity behaviour of red deer. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023; 45:e02525. [PMID: 37265595 PMCID: PMC10212594 DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected people's social habits, especially those related to outdoor activities. We intended to understand the effects of the two national lockdowns in Portugal on the presence and activity of a wild population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) by analysing data from camera traps installed at Lousã mountain, in the central part of Portugal. The cameras were set between 2019 and 2021, and a total of 2434 individual contacts of red deer and 182 contacts of people were recorded. Results showed a higher human presence in the mountain area during the COVID-19 outbreak, especially during the first lockdown in 2020 (0.05 ± 0.17 individuals/day), compared to the same period of the year before the pandemic (0.02 ± 0.05 individuals/day), which resulted in an increase of people by 150%. The increase in human presence did not have a significant direct effect on the presence of red deer. Despite the low overlap of activity patterns between people and red deer, deer showed avoidance behaviour in the 24 h after the detection of human presence on camera traps, as well as an increase in daily activity during the 2020 lockdown, showing red deer's awareness of human visitation. These results showed that people's increased search for cultural services in wild environments during COVID-19 lockdowns, such as hiking and biking, seemed to influence the population of red deer, albeit momentarily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Garcia
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - António Alves da Silva
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Helena Freitas
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - José Paulo Sousa
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Alves
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
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Laguna E, Carpio AJ, Vicente J, Barasona JA, Triguero-Ocaña R, Jiménez-Ruiz S, Gómez-Manzaneque Á, Acevedo P. The spatial ecology of red deer under different land use and management scenarios: Protected areas, mixed farms and fenced hunting estates. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 786:147124. [PMID: 33965822 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The knowledge regarding the spatial ecology of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in different environments is crucial if effective management actions are to be designed. However, this knowledge continues to be scarce in the complex contexts of mixed land use and management circumstances. This study describes the spatial ecology of red deer monitored using GPS collars in Mediterranean ecosystems of South-Central Spain, considering the effect of individual and seasonal (food shortage period, rut, hunting season and food abundance period) factors on different land use and management scenarios, namely protected areas, mixed farms and fenced hunting estates. Our results showed less activity (ACT), a shorter daily range (DR) and a smaller home range (HR) during the food shortage period: ACT: 0.38 ± (SD) 0.12; DR: 3010.9 ± 727.3 m; and weekly HR: 122.2 ± 59.6 ha. With regard to land use, individuals were less ACT and had a smaller DR on fenced hunting estates (ACT: 0.24 ± 0.12; DR: 1946.3 ± 706.7 m) than in protected areas (ACT: 0.59 ± 0.12; DR: 4071.4 ± 1068.2 m) or on mixed farms (ACT: 0.57 ± 0.29; DR: 5431.1 ± 1939.5 m) in all the periods studied. Red deer selected land cover with forage and shelter when foraging and resting, respectively. When drive hunt events occurred (mixed farms and fenced hunting estates), the deer were more prone to select safer habitats (scrublands) and avoid open areas (crops or grasslands) than were their counterparts in protected areas. The patterns observed can be explained by sexual and seasonal differences as regards requirements, the response to disturbances and, interestingly, population management. Our results provide useful information with which to design scientifically-based species adaptive management in response to relevant and timely situations in Europe, such as the potential transmission of shared infections, vehicle collisions, and damage to crops and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Laguna
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), UCLM-CSIC-JCCM, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Antonio J Carpio
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), UCLM-CSIC-JCCM, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; Department of Zoology, University of Córdoba, C-1 Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Joaquín Vicente
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), UCLM-CSIC-JCCM, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - José A Barasona
- VISAVET, Health Surveillance Centre, Department of Animal Health, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Roxana Triguero-Ocaña
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), UCLM-CSIC-JCCM, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; VISAVET, Health Surveillance Centre, Department of Animal Health, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Saúl Jiménez-Ruiz
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), UCLM-CSIC-JCCM, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Zoonosis (GISAZ), Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | | | - Pelayo Acevedo
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), UCLM-CSIC-JCCM, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
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Debeffe L, Maren Rivrud I, Brekkum Ø, Meisingset EL, Mysterud A. Implications of the forage maturation hypothesis for activity of partially migratory male and female deer. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Debeffe
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern Oslo NO-0316 Norway
| | - Inger Maren Rivrud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern Oslo NO-0316 Norway
| | - Øystein Brekkum
- Department of Forestry and Forestry Resources; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research; Tingvoll NO-6630 Norway
| | - Erling L. Meisingset
- Department of Forestry and Forestry Resources; Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research; Tingvoll NO-6630 Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis; Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern Oslo NO-0316 Norway
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