Spatial distribution of herbivorous mammals in the transboundary forests and their effects on woody vegetation

• Main Author: Belova, Olgirda
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Transboundary area; Herbivores; Impact to forest; Consumption; Weather; Core species; Alces alces; mountain hare
• Online Access: http://lammc.lvb.lt/LAMMC:ELABAPDB5985100&prefLang=en_US

The problem deer-forest is not new, and many valuable studies and publications are well known while the item of possible migratory paths of animals and their effects on woody vegetation in the transboundary zone is not properly touched. Increased changeability and the number of extreme events cause changes in the distribution, foraging,population parameters of animals and, correspondingly, their impact on the environment as on the transboundary forests as in all territories. The integrated method of belt transects (100x4 m) and sample plots (50x2 m) has been used determining the main forest characteristics of the each route unit. An abundance and distribution of Moose Alces alces, Red deer Cervus elaphus, Roe deer Capreolus capreolus, Brown hare Lepus europaeus and Mountain hare L. timidus and the age structure and sex ratio of deer populations have been assessed using the pellet group count method during the non-vegetative period. The consumption of shoots in woody species Csh% was calculated. The duration of the non-vegetative period determines the time and extent of animal impact on woody vegetation throughout. The real duration of the non-vegetative period should be considered. The changeable and typical weather conditions cause changes in a usual distribution of herbivores and their impact to forest. An increase in the roe deer number and decrese in the moose number has been observed. Under climate warming conditions, there is negative close relation between consumption of shoots Csh% and the average temperatures in the non-vegetative period (r=-0.4). The increase in moose and red deer numbers will negatively affect woody vegetation, and the further warming and climatic anomalies would cause an increase in the damaged area in the transboundary zone. It is necessary to consider the competition between the different herbivore species, which inhabitat the same habitats, and the climatic/natural regions.