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Pubblicazioni Scientifiche
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Trends of ungulate species in Europe: not all stories are equal
Cerri
,
Jacopo
,
Chirichella
,
Roberta
,
Arnold
,
Walter
,
Bartoš
,
Luděk
,
Borowik
,
Tomasz
,
Carranza
,
Juan
,
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
Csányi
,
Sándor
,
Ericsson
,
Göran
,
Heurich
,
Marco
,
Kojola
,
Ilpo
,
Mysterud
,
Atle
,
Pokorny
,
Boštjan
,
Schmidt
,
Krzysztof
,
Šprem
,
Nikica
,
Vicente
,
Joaquín
,
Alagić
,
Ajša
,
Balčiauskas
,
Linas
,
Casaer
,
Jim
,
Cellina
,
Sandra
,
Done
,
Gundega
,
Find’o
,
Slavomír
,
Fonseca
,
Carlos M.M.S.
,
Gačić
,
Dragan P.
,
Melovski
,
Dime
,
Ozoliņš
,
Jânis
,
Papaioannou
,
Haritakis I.
,
Pusenius
,
Jyrki
,
Randveer
,
Tiit
,
Ruusila
,
Vesa
,
Saint-Andrieux
,
Christine
,
Veeroja
,
Rauno
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
hunting bags
reforestation
rural abandonment
time-series analysis
wild ungulates
wildlife management
Mostra abstract
Wild ungulates have deep impacts on socio-ecological systems, and analyzing large-scale population trends in a multispecies set can identify their environmental and socio-economic drivers. We collected annual hunting bags (n = 11,046, period 1975–2018) of European roe deer, red deer, wild boar, fallow deer, mouflon, northern chamois and moose, across Europe. We identified different temporal trends in their hunting bags and evaluated the social and environmental drivers of their relative abundances. The number of harvested red deer and fallow deer, increased steadily across Europe, with minor differences among countries, despite variations in land use and climate. On the contrary, European roe deer harvests have decreased in six European countries since the late 1990s, probably due to landscape changes and locally also due to predation, interspecific competition, and/or increasing temperatures. Northern chamois harvests in Austria and Switzerland have decreased markedly, probably due to increasing temperatures, which decrease the survival of kids at high altitudes. Wild boar harvests have decreased in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the African Swine Fever outbreak in 2013–2014. Minor differences emerged between countries adopting different management regimes for wild ungulates. While many studies pointed out landscape changes as the cornerstone for the increase in wild ungulates across Europe, our research emphasizes important species-specific differences. There is a need to predict how landscape dynamics, climate change and recovering large carnivores will affect populations of species already showing signs of decline, like the European roe deer or the northern chamois. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Mammal Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences 2026.
Evaluating sampling schemes for quantifying seed production in beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests using ground quadrats
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
Tattoni
,
Clara
,
Ferrara
,
Carlotta
,
Ciolli
,
Marco
,
Brogi
,
Rudy
,
Zanni
,
Michele
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
,
Cutini
,
Andrea
Mostra abstract
Accurate estimates of seed production are central for understanding mast seeding mechanisms at tree and forest scales, and for designing sustainable management strategies. As trees are long-lived organisms, a long-term perspective is required to understand how reproduction acts during the life cycle of a tree. However, long-term series of seed production are challenging to obtain, as the available seed count procedures strictly rely on field methods, which are cost- and time-consuming, inherently limiting their widespread use at extensive spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we proposed a simple, rapid and flexible field method based on counting the seed in mobile ground quadrats (GQ), which was tested in beech forests. Quadrat measurements were first validated against reference measurements obtained from litter traps (LT) in three permanent plots. Results indicated that GQ provides robust and reliable estimates of seeds, which are not affected by seed predation occurring at the forest floor. Additional quadrat measurements were performed to evaluate the influence of sampling schemes (random, regular, systematic) on the estimation of mean seed production at the plot scale. One hundred quadrats were collected in 0.25 ha beech plots and considered as a reference for evaluating the different sampling schemes and sampling sizes. Measurements were performed in October (three plots), which represented the peak of seed fall, and November (two plots). Results indicate that about 25 randomly located measurements allowed to characterize plot-level mean seed production with an acceptable error below 20%, regardless of the different mean seed production observed between the studied plots and the sampling periods. If the 25 sampling points are arranged in a grid, the obtained mean estimates are within the confidence interval of the reference plot-level values. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Climate, tree masting and spatial behaviour in wild boar (Sus scrofa L.): insight from a long-term study
Bisi
,
Francesco
,
Chirichella
,
Roberta
,
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
von Hardenberg
,
Jost Graf
,
Cutini
,
Andrea
,
Martinoli
,
Adriano
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
Mostra abstract
Key message: Climate factors affect seed biomass production which in turn influences autumn wild boar spatial behaviour. Adaptive management strategies require an understanding of both masting and its influence on the behaviour of pulsed resource consumers like wild boar. Context: Pulsed resources ecosystem could be strongly affected by climate. Disantangling the role of climate on mast seeding allow to understand a seed consumer spatial behaviour to design proper wildlife and forest management strategies. Aims: We investigated the relationship between mast seeding and climatic variables and we evaluated the influence of mast seeding on wild boar home range dynamics. Methods: We analysed mast seeding as seed biomass production of three broadleaf tree species (Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus cerris L., Castanea sativa Mill.) in the northern Apennines. Next, we explored which climatic variables affected tree masting patterns and finally we tested the effect of both climate and seed biomass production on wild boar home range size. Results: Seed biomass production is partially regulated by climate; high precipitation in spring of the current year positively affects seed biomass production while summer precipitation of previous year has an opposite effect. Wild boar home range size is negatively correlated to seed biomass production, and the climate only partially contributes to determine wild boar spatial behaviour. Conclusion: Climate factors influence mast seeding, and the negative correlation between wild boar home range and mast seeding should be taken into account for designing integrated, proactive hunting management. © 2018, INRA and Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.
Early and long-term impacts of browsing by roe deer in oak coppiced woods along a gradient of population density
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
Mattioli
,
Luca
,
Amorini
,
Emilio
,
Giannini
,
Tessa
,
Marcon
,
Andrea
,
Chirichella
,
Roberta
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
,
Cutini
,
Andrea
Mostra abstract
Over the last few decades, wild ungulate populations have exhibited relevant geographic and demographic expansion in most European countries; roe deer is amongst the most widespread ungulate species. The increasing roe deer densities have led to strong impact on forest regeneration; the problem has been recently recognized in coppice woods, a silvicultural system which is widespread in Italy, where it amounts to about 56% of the total national forested area. In this study we investigated the effect of roe deer browsing on the vegetative regeneration of Turkey oak few years after coppicing, along a gradient of roe deer density. A browsing index revealed that browsing impact was high at any given roe deer density but increased at higher density, with the browsing rate ranging from 65% to 79%. We also analyzed the long-term impact of browsing six and eleven years after coppicing under a medium roe deer density. Results indicated the early impact are not ephemeral but produced prolonged impacts through time, with an average reduction in volume of-57% and-41% six and eleven years after coppicing, respectively. Based on these results we proposed integrating browsing monitoring with roe deer density estimation to allow identifying ungulate densities which are compatible with silvicultural and forest management objectives. The proposed browsing index can be regarded as an effective management tool, on account of its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, being therefore highly suitable for routine, large scale monitoring of browsing impact.
Reproductive phenology and conception synchrony in a natural wild boar population
Canu
,
Antonio
,
Scandura
,
Massimo
,
Merli
,
Enrico
,
Chirichella
,
Roberta
,
Bottero
,
Elisa
,
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
Cutini
,
Andrea
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
Mostra abstract
Reproductive synchrony among gregarious mammals has a strong adaptive value and may lead to cooperative behaviors aimed at maximizing offspring survival. Additionally, temporal clustering of estrus has important implications on individual mating tactics and ultimately affects the degree of polygamy in a population. Although several studies have examined the reproductive biology of wild boar (Sus scrofa), much remains to be understood about the patterns of timing and synchrony of reproduction in natural populations. We analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of conception dates in an Italian wild boar population taking into account the effects of environmental and individual factors, in order to determine the main variables influencing the timing of reproduction and to detect the signs of a socially-driven reproductive synchrony. Specifically, for each litter belonging to 354 pregnant sows culled between 2006 and 2013 in a mountain area of Tuscany, we determined the conception date (CD) from an estimate of the mean fetal age and the culling date. We then investigated which factors drove the variation in CD, by implementing linear mixed models, Mantel tests and spatial autocorrelation analyses. The selected model showed significant effects of rainfall, temperatures, and previous and current productivity on CD, as well as a strong correlation of CDs among sows culled in close spatial and temporal proximity (i.e., in the same hunting ground and hunting season). Likewise, autocorrelation analyses and Mantel tests consistently indicated that closer sows had similar conception dates. Overall, our results confirm the effect of resource availability and climate on wild boar reproductive phenology, and suggest socially-driven reproductive patterns, in spite of a high turn-over in social groups due to hunting. Finally, possible advantages and evolutionary implications of reproductive synchrony in wild boar are discussed. © 2015 Associazione Teriologica Italiana.
Mast seeding in deciduous forests of the northern Apennines (Italy) and its influence on wild boar population dynamics
Cutini
,
Andrea
,
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
Chirichella
,
Roberta
,
Donaggio
,
Emanuela
,
Mattioli
,
Luca
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
forest management
forest seed production
game management
pulsed resource
silvicultural treatment
sus scrofa l.
Mostra abstract
Context: Pulsed food resources may strongly affect the population dynamics of several consumer species, with consequences on the ecosystem. One of the most common pulsed resources is forest mast seeding. Aims: We analysed mast seeding in deciduous forests in a mountainous area of northern Apennines and its effect on population dynamics of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.). Methods: We performed a quantitative, 20-year analysis on annual seed production in Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forest stands using litter traps. The wild boar population density was estimated by means of drive censuses and hunting bag records. The role of other biotic (density of predators) and abiotic (climate) factors potentially affecting wild boar mortality was also investigated. Results: Turkey oak and chestnut showed high levels of seed production, whereas lower levels were found in beech. The pulsed resources of chestnut and Turkey oak positively affected piglet density. Analyses also highlighted the influence of snow cover and wolves on wild boar population dynamics. Conclusion: Wild boar can be considered a pulse rate species, the management of which can be improved by annual monitoring of seed production. © 2013 INRA and Springer-Verlag France.
Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) browsing effects and use of chestnut and Turkey oak coppiced areas
Cutini
,
Andrea
,
Bongi
,
Paolo
,
Chianucci
,
Francesco
,
Pagon
,
Nives
,
Grignolio
,
Stefano
,
Amorini
,
Emilio
,
Apollonio
,
Marco
Mostra abstract
Introduction: Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) browsing pressure on vegetative regeneration of Turkey oak (Quercus cerris) and chestnut (Castanea sativa) and roe deer use of coppiced areas were investigated. Methods: In the Apennines, Central Italy, six experimental areas were chosen, where fenced (ungulate access excluded, protected P) and non-fenced (ungulate influence present, non-protected NP) plots were established after coppicing. From 2002 to 2005, each plot was surveyed twice a year, and number, biomass, collar diameter, and total height of the sprouts were measured. Results:Roe deer had a different effect on the re-growth of Turkey oak and chestnut sprouts. After 4 years, chestnut did not show any browsing-related damage, while in Turkey oak, biomass and height of the sprouts in fenced plots significantly differed from those in non-fenced plots. The results agreed with an experimental browsing index. The outcome is relevant because it represents a quick and reliable field tool to assess the impact on a larger scale, where analytic and quantitative approaches cannot be applied. The locations of 62 adult radiocollared roe deer confirmed an increase in the use of coppiced areas. A utilisation index showed more frequent use of these areas during and after forest work. Contrary to common opinion, logging seemed to attract roe deer in coppiced areas as the vegetation biomass at their disposal increased. © INRA and Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.