The density and distribution of badger setts in the Sudety Mountains, Poland

• Autorzy: Bartmanska J. , Nadolska M.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The density and distribution of badger Meles meles (Linnaeus, 1758) setts was estimated by questionnaires and field studies, carried out in the Sudety Mountains between 1995-2002. The questionnaire referred to the whole territory of Polish Sudety Mts, while field studies were conducted in four different habitat types: low mountains with a mosaic farm-forest landscape, highly industrialised hilly areas, high mountain ranges of natural character and high mountain ranges of severe microclimate and heavily destroyed tree stands. On the basis of both questionnaires and field surveys, a total of 378 badger setts, classified according to their size and status, were identified. Among these, 119 (31.5%) were situated on three areas, while in the fourth area we did not find any badger setts. According to their size and traces of intensive occupation, 54 setts were regarded as main badger setts. The mean density of main setts on three areas was much the same and amounted to 0.05-0.07/km2 of their total surface, despite differences in their natural environment and agricultural or industrial changes in landscapes. In the Sudety Mts badgers selected settlements in forest habitats, bordering rich in food open areas. The density of main setts in forest areas ranged from 0.12 to 0.33/km2 depending on the proportion of forest, type and age of tree stands and size of forest complexes. The mean distance of main setts from open areas ranged from 209 to 280 m. The mean nearest neighbour distance (NND) between main setts ranged from 2.85 to 3.75 km. The home range size estimated for a social group varied from 7.9 to 13.6 km2. The highest occupied setts of our study were found on the Śnieżnik Massif, at an altitude of 700 m a.s.l.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

badger sett; sett location; Poland; Meles meles; badger; occurrence; density; distribution; Sudetes Mountains

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Theriologica
• Rocznik: 2003
• Tom: 48
• Numer: 4
• Opis fizyczny: p.515-525,fig.

Twórcy

autor

Bartmanska J.

• University of Wroclaw, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wroclaw, Poland

autor

Nadolska M.

Bibliografia

• Bock W. F. 1988. Untersuchungen zur Lage und zum Mikroklima von Dachsbauen (Meles meles). Zeitschrift für Jagdwissenschaft 34: 141–152.
• Brøseth H., Bevanger K. and Knutsen B. 1997a. Function of multiple badgerMeles meles setts: distribution and utilisation. Wildlife Biology 3: 89–96.
• Brøseth H., Knutsen B. and Bevanger K. 1997b. Spatial organization and habitat utilization of badgersMeles meles: effects of food patch dispersion in the boreal forest of central Norway. Zeitschrift für Sägetierkunde 62: 12–22.
• Buchalczyk T. 1983. 0069.Meles meles (Linnaeus, 1758). [In: Atlas of Polish mammals. Z. Pucek and J. Raczyński, eds]. PWN #x2014; Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa: 148–149, map: 141. [In Polish]
• Clements E. D., Neal E. G. and Yalsett D. W. 1988. The National Badger Sett Survey. Mammal Review 18: 1–9.
• Delahay R. J., Brown J. A., Mallinson P. J., Spyvee P. D., Handoll D., Rogers L. M. and Cheeseman C. L. 2000. The use of marked bait in studies of the territorial organization of the European badger (Meles meles). Mammal Review 30: 73–87.
• Doncaster C. P. and Woodroffe R. 1993. Den site can determine shape and size of badger territories: implications for group-living. Oikos 66: 88–93.
• Feore S. and Montgomery W. I. 1999. Habitat effects on the spatial ecology of the European badger (Meles meles). Journal of Zoology, London 247: 537–549.
• Good C., Hindenlang K., Imfeld S. and Nievergelt B. 2001. A habitat analysis of badger (Meles meles L.) setts in a semi-natural forest. Mammalian Biology 66: 204–214.
• Goszczyński J. 1999. Fox, racoon dog and badger densities in North Eastern Poland. Acta Theriologica 44: 413–420.
• Goszczyński J. and Skoczyńska J. 1996. Density estimation, family group size and recruitment in a badger population near Rogów (Central Poland). Miscellánia Zoológica 19 (2): 27–33.
• Goszczyński J., Jędrzejewska B. and Jędrzejewski W. 2000. Diet composition of badgers (Meles meles) in a pristine forest and rural habitats of Poland compared to other European populations. Journal of Zoology, London 250: 495–505.
• Griffiths H. I. and Thomas D. H. 1993. The status of the badgerMeles meles (L., 1758) (Carnivora, Mustelidae) in Europe. Mammal Review 23: 17–58.
• Jacobs J. 1974. Quantitative measurement of food selection. A modification of the forage ratio and Ivlev’s electivity index. Ścologia (Berlin) 14: 413–417.
• Jędrzejewska B. and Jędrzejewski W. 2001. [Ecology of predators in Białowieża Primeval Forest]. PWN — Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa: 233–236. [In Polish]
• Johnson D. D. P., Jetz W. and Macdonald D. W. 2002. Environmental correlates of badger social spacing across Europe. Journal of Biogeography 29: 411–425.
• Kasprzak K. 1986. [Soil Oligochaeta III. Family: Earthworms (Lumbricidae). Guide for identification of Polish invertebrates]. Tom 6. Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Zoologii, PWN — Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa: 1–187. [In Polish]
• Kondracki J. 2000. [Regional geography of Poland]. PWN — Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa: 216–242. [In Polish]
• Kowalczyk R., Bunevich A. N. and Jędrzejewska B. 2000. Badger density and distribution of setts in Białowieża Primeval Forest (Poland and Belarus) compared to other Eurasian populations. Acta Theriologica 45: 395–408.
• Kowalczyk R., Jędrzejewska B. and Zalewski A. 2003a. Annual and circadian activity patterns of badgersMeles meles in Białowieża Primeval Forest (eastern Poland) compared with other Palearctic populations. Journal of Biogeography 30: 463–472.
• Kowalczyk R., Zalewski A., Jędrzejewska B. and Jędrzejewski W. 2003b. Spatial organization and demography of badgers (Meles meles) in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland, and the influence of earthworms on badger densities in Europe. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81: 74–87.
• Kruuk H. 1978. Spatial organization and territorial behaviour of the European badger,Meles meles. Journal of Zoology, London: 184: 1–19.
• Kruuk H. 1989. The social badger. Ecology and behaviour of a group-living carnivore (Meles meles). Oxford University Press, New York: 1–155.
• Kruuk H. and Parish T. 1985. Food, food availability and weight of badgers (Meles meles) in relation to agricultural changes. Journal of Applied Ecology 22: 705–715.
• Lindsay I. M. and Macdonald D. W. 1985. The effects of disturbance on the emergence of Eurasian badgers in winter. Biological Conservation 34: 289–306.
• Lüps P. and Kuhn-Klein C. 1983. Der Dachs. Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeine, Bern: 1–46.
• Matyáštík T. and Bičík V. 1999. Distribution and habitat selection of badger (Meles meles) in Northern Moravia. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis Facultas Rerum Naturalium, Biologica 37: 77–88.
• Mazurski K. R. 1986. The destruction of forests in the Polish Sudetes Mountains by industrial emission. Forest Ecology and Manage 17: 303–315.
• Mikusek R. and Pikulska B. 1999. Mammals of the National Park of Stołowe Mountains. Szczeliniec 3: 109–119. [In Polish with English summary]
• Mitchell-Jones A. J., Amori G., Bogdanowicz W., Kryštufek B., Reijnders P. J. H., Spitzenberger F., Stubbe M., Thissen J. B. M., Vohralík V. and Zima J. 1999. The atlas of European mammals. T & A D Poyser Natural History, London: 348–349.
• Mrugasiewicz P. 1998. The influence of morphology and ground cover on the snow layer in Polish part of Izera basin. [In: Symposium: Climatic and botanic problems of Izerskie Mountains, 21–23 September 1998, Świeradów Zdrój]. Wrocław University, Wrocław: 21. [In Polish]
• Neal E. 1975. Der Dachs. (übersetzung des engl. Originals von 1949.) BLV Verlags GmbH, München: 1–152.
• Neal E. G. and Roper T. J. 1991. The environmental impact of badgers (Meles meles) and their setts. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London 63: 89–106.
• Plisko J. D. 1973. [Lumbricidae earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta). Fauna Poloniae]. Polish Academy of Science, PWN — Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa: 37–41. [In Polish]
• Pucek Z. and Raczyński J. (eds) 1983. Atlas of Polish mammals. PWN — Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa: 1–188, maps: 1–183.
• Reason P., Harris S. and Cresswell P. 1993. Estimating the impact of past persecution and habitat changes on the numbers of badgersMeles meles in Britain. Mammal Review 23: 1–15.
• Revilla E., Delibes M., Travaini A. and Palomares F. 1999. Physical and population parameters of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles L.) from Mediterranean Spain. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde 64: 269–276.
• Revilla E., Palomares F. and Delibes M. 2000. Defining key habitats for low density populations of Eurasian badgers in Mediterranean environments. Biological Conservation 95: 269–277.
• Revilla E., Palomares F. and Fernndez N. 2001. Characteristics, location and selection of diurnal resting dens by Eurasian badger (Meles meles) in a low density area. Journal of Zoology, London 255: 291–299.
• Seiler A. 1992. Einfluß der Jahreszeiten auf Biotopnutzung und Nahrungswahl von Dachsen (Meles meles L.) in Mittelschweden. Diplomarbeit im Zoologischen Institut der Georg-August-Universität zu Göttingen, Göttingen: 1–124.
• Skinner C. A., Skinner P. J. and Harris S. 1991. An analysis of some of the factors affecting the current distribution of badgerMeles meles setts in Essex. Mammal Review 21: 51–65.
• Sobik M. 1998. Specific features of the climate in Izerskie Mountains. [In: Symposium: Climatic and botanic problems of Izerskie Mountains. 21–23 September 1998, Świeradów Zdrój]. Wrocław University, Wrocław: 29. [In Polish]
• Thornton P. S. 1988. Density and distribution of badgers in sout-west England — a predictive model. Mammal Review 18: 11–23.
• Virgós E. and Casanovas J. G. 1999. Environmental constraints at the edge of a species distribution, the Eurasian badger (Meles meles L.): a biogeographic approach. Journal of Biogeography 26: 559–564.
• Wiertz J. 1993. Fluctuations in the Dutch BadgerMeles meles population between 1960 and 1990. Mammal Review 23: 59–64.
• Wiszniowska T. and Stefaniak K. 1996. [Mammals (Mammalia)]. [In: Śnieżnik Massif, changes in the natural environment. A. Jahn, S. Kozłowski and M. Pulina, eds]. Polish Ecological Agency, Warszawa: 277–284. [In Polish]
• Zejda J. and Nesvadbova J. 1983. Habitat selection and population density of the badger (Meles meles) in Bohemia and Moravia. Folia Zoologica 32: 310–333.
• Zoss A. 1992. Some aspects of the ecology of European badger (Meles meles L.) in the Slitere Nature Reserve. Acta et commentationes Universitatis Tartuensis 955: 176–185.