Partial migration in roe deer
Francesca CAGNACCI*, Research and Innovation Centre, Environment and Natural Resources Area, Edmund Mach Foundation, via Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Tn, Italy
Stefano FOCARDI, Inst. for Protection and Environmental Research (ISPRA), Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bo, Italy
Marco HEURICH, Anja STACHE, Departement of Research and Documentation, Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
A.J. Mark HEWISON, Nicolas MORELLET, Wildlife, Behaviour and Ecology Research Unit, French National Inst. for Agriculture Research (INRA Toulouse), Chemin de Borde Rouge BP 52627, 31326 Castanet Tolosan cedex, France
Petter KJELLANDER, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Dept. of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU), SE-73091, Riddarhyttan, Sweden.
John D. C. LINNELL, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Tungasletta 2, NO-7047 Trondheim Norway
Atle MYSTERUD, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Dept. Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
Markus NETELER, Luca DELUCCHI, Research and Innovation Centre, GIS and Remote Sensing Unit, Edmund Mach Foundation, via Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Tn, Italy
Ferdinando URBANO, via Pozzi 7, 20127 Milan, Italy *corresponding author: francesca.cagnacci@iasma.it
We studied partial migrations in the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a species particularly suited for such a study, due to a wide distribution range and a high level of
ecological plasticity and adaptation to human-induced environmental changes. We undertook a comparative analysis of a set of representative and contrasting European ecosystems
(boreal, boreo-nemoral, alpine, central European and sub-Mediterranean), using a dataset of about 100 individuals tracked for at least 1 year, using GPS collars. One of the main finding was the relevance of intermediate migratory behaviour, i.e. many animals performed numerous trips back and forth between winter and summer areas before taking a final decision and stabilize their range. The migration process resulted highly inter- and intra-individually variable, where the “classic” partial migration alternatives (residents and sharp migrants) were only the extremes of a highly complex behavioural gradient. The probability of adopting a migratory strategy, and sharp migrations in particular, depended on modulation by external factors, and in particular by the presence of snow, and on costs of displacement. The behavioural migratory gradient seemed therefore an expression of ecological plasticity and quick adaptation to climatic variation. However, migration patterns differed a lot between males and females, providing evidence that sex-specific adaptations also play a role in shaping the movement tactics of roe deer.
