Foraging character of deer Cervidae and brown hare (Lepus europaeus) on the littoral area of pure pine forests in Lithuania.

摘要

A study was conducted in pure pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands of the Kursiu Nerija National Park in Western Lithuania to determine the foraging behaviour of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), moose (Alces alces) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus), and assess their interactions with the main components of the forest biota and the environment. The specific climatic and geomorphologic diversity of landscape and local conditions as well as the absence of agricultural landed property determine the low carrying capacity and specific structure of the local fauna and their adaptations, as the mixed forest-forest edge ecotype in hares and forest ecotype in roe deer. The coexistence of forest plants and animals is directly and indirectly influenced not only by the determined abiotic and biotic factors but also by human factors including forest management, hunting and its restrictions, supplemental feeding in winter, picking of mushrooms and berries, and other recreational activities. The mentioned activities are particularly obvious on the study area while the forests are managed by the separate regime that is approved by the legal acts for protected areas. The animal density is less than permissible density in pure pine forests while there is the aberrant sex ratio and age structure in local populations. That is the indicator if disfavour in living conditions. Habitat preference values and plant consumption intensity varied temporally depending on the stand composition, forest site type and forest age as well as variability of the main weather parameters. The main criteria of the animal-plant interaction are the consumption of shoots and the browsing intensity of the main woody species. Shoot consumption in conifers more than 40-50% and more than 20-30% in deciduous species is the criterion of the irreversible decline in the certain species..