<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Relations between climatic factors during the winter season (n days with frost &lt;0oC and −10oC; n days with snow cover: >1 cm, >10 cm and >30 cm; maximum snow cover during season [cm]) and mortality in free-living ungulates (red deer <italic>Cervus elaphus</italic> Linnaeus, 1758, roe deer <italic>Capreolus capreolus</italic> Linnaeus, 1758 and mouflon <italic>Ovis aries musimon</italic> Linnaeus, 1758) in the Owl Mountains (Lower Silesia – Poland) in years 1998–2010 were investigated. Significant effects of all analysed climatic factors on ungulates mortality were documented. Correlations (Pearson) between such weather factors as the depth of snow cover and number of days with frost and recorded mortality in total animal populations analysed ranged from r = 0.33 to r = 0.77. The least adapted to local weather conditions was mouflon introduced to this area ca. 100 years ago from more southern parts of Europe. Roe deer species seems to be environmentally plastic, and are doing quite well in severe winters. Tolerance of red deer to the snow cover is much lower at low temperatures due to the fact that this species, during the period of snow cover, has limited access to the plants covered with snow and difficult access to food base.</abstract>

Relations between climatic factors during the winter season (n days with frost <0oC and −10oC; n days with snow cover: >1 cm, >10 cm and >30 cm; maximum snow cover during season [cm]) and mortality in free-living ungulates (red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758, roe deer Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758 and mouflon Ovis aries musimon Linnaeus, 1758) in the Owl Mountains (Lower Silesia – Poland) in years 1998–2010 were investigated. Significant effects of all analysed climatic factors on ungulates mortality were documented. Correlations (Pearson) between such weather factors as the depth of snow cover and number of days with frost and recorded mortality in total animal populations analysed ranged from r = 0.33 to r = 0.77. The least adapted to local weather conditions was mouflon introduced to this area ca. 100 years ago from more southern parts of Europe. Roe deer species seems to be environmentally plastic, and are doing quite well in severe winters. Tolerance of red deer to the snow cover is much lower at low temperatures due to the fact that this species, during the period of snow cover, has limited access to the plants covered with snow and difficult access to food base.

Effect of winter conditions on wild ungulates mortality in the Owl Mountains (Poland)

University of Zielona Góra, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Departament of Zoology, Prof. Z.Szafrana 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, The Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Institute of Animal Breeding, Chełmońskiego 38C, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland

Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Parkowa 30, 51-616 Wrocław, Poland

Folia Forestalia Polonica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Relations between climatic factors during the winter season (n days with frost 1 cm, >10 cm and >30 cm; maximum snow cover during season [cm]) and mortality in free-living ungulates (red deer Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758, roe deer Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758 and mouflon Ovis aries musimon Linnaeus, 1758) in the Owl Mountains (Lower Silesia – Poland) in years 1998–2010 were investigated. Significant effects of all analysed climatic factors on ungulates mortality were documented. Correlations (Pearson) between such weather factors as the depth of snow cover and number of days with frost and recorded mortality in total animal populations analysed ranged from r = 0.33 to r = 0.77. The least adapted to local weather conditions was mouflon introduced to this area ca. 100 years ago from more southern parts of Europe. Roe deer species seems to be environmentally plastic, and are doing quite well in severe winters. Tolerance of red deer to the snow cover is much lower at low temperatures due to the fact that this species, during the period of snow cover, has limited access to the plants covered with snow and difficult access to food base.

Relations between climatic factors during the winter season (n days with frost <0oC and −10oC; n days with snow cover: >1 cm, >10 cm and >30 cm; maximum snow...

Effect of winter conditions on wild ungulates mortality in the Owl Mountains (Poland)

Published Online: Dec 22, 2015

Page range: 187 - 193

Received: Jun 01, 2015

Accepted: Aug 18, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ffp-2015-0018

Keywords
mortality, mouflon, red deer, roe deer, snow cover, temperature, ungulate, Owl Mountain

© 2015 Marcin Warchałowski et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Effect of winter conditions on wild ungulates mortality in the Owl Mountains (Poland)

Published Online: Dec 22, 2015

Page range: 187 - 193

Received: Jun 01, 2015

Accepted: Aug 18, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ffp-2015-0018

Keywordsmortality, mouflon, red deer, roe deer, snow cover, temperature, ungulate, Owl Mountain

© 2015 Marcin Warchałowski et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
mortality, mouflon, red deer, roe deer, snow cover, temperature, ungulate, Owl Mountain