Journal
ANNALES ZOOLOGICI FENNICI
Volume 52, Issue 1-2, Pages 66-76Publisher
FINNISH ZOOLOGICAL BOTANICAL PUBLISHING BOARD
DOI: 10.5735/086.052.0206
Keywords
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Funding
- Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management
- Research Council of Norway
- Office of Environmental Affairs in the county of Oslo Akershus
- municipality of Fla
- municipality of Gol
- municipality of Hjartdal
- municipality of Nes
- municipality of Nore og Uvdal
- municipality of Rollag
- municipality of Sauherad
- municipality of Tinn
- municipality of Al
- FRIA (Fonds pour l'Encouragement de la Recherche Scientifique dans l'Industrie et l'Agriculture)
- Office of Environmental Affairs in the county of Ostfold
- Office of Environmental Affairs in the county of Vestfold
- Office of Environmental Affairs in the county of Telemark
- Office of Environmental Affairs in the county of Buskerud
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In Norway, recovering populations of large carnivores commonly prey on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Understanding predator habitat use and ecology requires fine-scaled information on prey distribution and abundance. However, the massive spatial scales at which large carnivores use the landscape presents many practical and statistical challenges for developing functional prey distribution models. Pellet-count data from > 1000 km of transects gathered across southeastern Norway between 2005 and 2011 were used to derive a map of the relative prey abundance for roe deer. These data were modeled using zero-inflated hurdle models using both environmental and anthropogenic variables. Snow depth and agricultural fields were the most significant variables in explaining both presence and abundance. Internal k-cross validation of the model showed medium accuracy (Spearman's r = 0.35), whereas external evaluation carried out on the basis of independently collected snow-tracking data (Spearman's r = 0.37) and hunting statistics (Spearman's r = 0.88) showed higher accuracy. The map generated can facilitate both the study of broad scale processes linking predators and prey as well as roe deer management in southeastern Norway.
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