Home range and habitat selection of wolves recolonising central European human-dominated landscapes

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41330%2F24%3A98109" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41330/24:98109 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/62156489:43410/24:43925272

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01245" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01245</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01245" target="_blank" >10.1002/wlb3.01245</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Home range and habitat selection of wolves recolonising central European human-dominated landscapes

Original language description

Decades of persecution has resulted in the long-term absence of grey wolves Canis lupus from most European countries. However, recent changes in both legislation and public attitudes toward wolves has eased the pressure, allowing wolves to rapidly re-establish territories in their previous central European habitats over the last 20 years. Unfortunately, these habitats are now heavily altered by humans. Understanding the spatial ecology of wolves in such highly modified environments is crucial, given the high potential for conflict and the need to reconcile their return with multiple human concerns. We equipped 20 wolves, originating from seven packs in six central European regions, with GPS collars, allowing us to calculate monthly average home range sizes for 14 of the animals of 213.3 km2 using autocorrelated kernel density estimation. We then used ESA WorldCover data to assess the mosaic of available habitats used within each home range. Our data confirmed a general seasonal pattern for breeding individuals, with smaller apparent home ranges during the reproduction phase, and no specific pattern for non-breeders. Predictably, our wolves showed a general preference for remote areas, and especially forests, though some wolves within military training areas also showed a broader preference for grassland, possibly influenced by local land use and high availability of prey. Our results provide a comprehensive insight into the ecology of wolves during their re-colonisation of central Europe. Though wolves are spreading relatively quickly across central European landscapes, their permanent reoccupation remains uncertain due to conflicts with the human population. To secure the restoration of European wolf populations, further robust biological data, including data on spatial ecology, will be needed to clearly identify any management implications.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10613 - Zoology

Project

—

Continuities

R - Projekt Ramcoveho programu EK

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

WILDLIFE BIOLOGY

ISSN

0909-6396

e-ISSN

0909-6396

Volume of the periodical

2024

Issue of the periodical within the volume

6

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

17

Pages from-to

1-17

UT code for WoS article

001244126400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85195640473