Spatial behaviour of wild boar

Henrik Thurfjell

Spatial behaviour of wild boar

Henrik Thurfjell

Institutionen för vilt, fisk och miljö

Publikation: Avhandling › Doktorsavhandling

2 Nedladdningar

Sammanfattning

Rumsliga beteenden hos djur påverkas av en mängd faktorer som oftast är relaterade till födosök, rörelse, undvikande, vila, territoriellt beteende, parning eller att ta hand om avkomma. Många av dessa beteenden kan förklaras av optimering av födointaget förutom reproduktiva beteenden och undvikande av predatorer. Predationsrisk och undvikande varierar över landskapet och får djurets beteende att avvika från optimal födosök genom att säkrare habitat utnyttjas mer än riskabla. Den här typen av undvikande påverkar både individer och populationer. Den här avhandlingen tar upp externa faktorer som påverkar rörelse och habitatval hos vildsvinssuggor försedda med GPS halsband. Mina resultat visar att vildsvin utnyttjar olika habitat beroende på vilken säsong det är men också beroende på vilken risk det innebär att befinna sig i habitatet. Exempel på risker är intensiv trafik eller jakt. Intensiv trafik får vildsvin att undvika att korsa vägar, vilket leder till färre olyckor när det är mycket trafik. Intensiv jakt leder till att vildsvin flyr istället för att gömma sig som de gör om jakten inte är lika intensiv. Habitatutnyttjandet hos vildsvin som flydde från sitt hemområde förändrades tills de återvände. Vildsvin uppfattar åkermark som riskfylld, men åtråvärd. Medan vildsvin befinner sig på åkrar föredrar de att vara nära skydd som skogskanter, diken eller häckar. Vildsvinens aktivitet påverkas av säsong, om solen är uppe eller nere och av väderleken. Den vanligaste reaktionen på stressfyllda förhållanden som trafik, jakt eller dåligt väder var att reducera rörelse, enda undantagen var drevjakter som fick vildsvinen att fly. De här resultaten är viktiga för att förstå hur väder påverkar födosök och hur djurens uppfattning av risk påverkar rörelsemönster och habitatutnyttjande. Från ett förvaltningsperspektiv kan resultaten utnyttjas för att reducera skador på gröda och minska antalet trafikolyckor. Resultaten är också viktiga för att förstå hur jakt som förvaltningsredskap påverkar rumsliga beteenden, och vid samförvaltning över större områden kan detta användas för att reducera skador på gröda.

Originalspråk	Engelska
Kvalifikation	Doktor i filosofi
Förlag	Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Tryckta ISBN	978-91-576-7589-7
Status	Publicerad - 2011

Nyckelord

animal behaviour
foraging
global positioning systems
habitats
sus scrofa
wild boar

SLU-serie

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae

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title = "Spatial behaviour of wild boar",

abstract = "The spatial behaviour of an animal is influenced by decisions relating to foraging, movement, avoidance, resting, territorial activity, mating and rearing young. Many of these behaviours can be explained by the optimal foraging theory, exceptions being reproductive behaviours and predator avoidance. Predation risk and associated avoidance behaviors varies across the landscape, resulting in a divergence from patterns predicted by optimal foraging theory, instead optimizing fitness. Such risk effects can be large and affect both individuals and population demography. This thesis focus on external factors affecting movements and habitat selection of wild boar females (N=15-17 depending on the question) using data from GPS collared individuals (N>100.000 data points analyzed) over 4 years in the southern part of Sweden. My results show that habitat selection is affected by season and by risk effects, such as traffic and hunting. Intense traffic diverts wild boar from crossing roads, and reduce the number of traffic accidents when traffic intensity is high. Intense hunting results in fleeing while less intense hunting results in hiding. Hunts that results in flights affects habitat selection until wild boar returned to their homer range. Wild boar perceive crop fields as risky but rewarding habitats, and while using crop fields they prefer to be close to cover such as edges, hedges and ditches. Further, wild boar movement is affected by seasonal and temporal aspects and weather conditions. The most common reaction to stressful factors such as traffic, hunting and aversive weather was to reduce movement. The only exception was when wild boar were chased in drive hunts and fled. These results are important for understanding how weather conditions affect optimal foraging strategies and how the animals{\textquoteright} perception of risk affects movement patterns and habitat selection. From a management perspective, my results can be used to reduce crop damages and traffic accidents caused by wild boar. These findings are also useful in understanding how hunting as a management tool affects the space use of wild boar, and consequently can aid managers to select hunting methods that may reduce damages to crops.",

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publisher = "Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences",

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TY - BOOK

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N2 - The spatial behaviour of an animal is influenced by decisions relating to foraging, movement, avoidance, resting, territorial activity, mating and rearing young. Many of these behaviours can be explained by the optimal foraging theory, exceptions being reproductive behaviours and predator avoidance. Predation risk and associated avoidance behaviors varies across the landscape, resulting in a divergence from patterns predicted by optimal foraging theory, instead optimizing fitness. Such risk effects can be large and affect both individuals and population demography. This thesis focus on external factors affecting movements and habitat selection of wild boar females (N=15-17 depending on the question) using data from GPS collared individuals (N>100.000 data points analyzed) over 4 years in the southern part of Sweden. My results show that habitat selection is affected by season and by risk effects, such as traffic and hunting. Intense traffic diverts wild boar from crossing roads, and reduce the number of traffic accidents when traffic intensity is high. Intense hunting results in fleeing while less intense hunting results in hiding. Hunts that results in flights affects habitat selection until wild boar returned to their homer range. Wild boar perceive crop fields as risky but rewarding habitats, and while using crop fields they prefer to be close to cover such as edges, hedges and ditches. Further, wild boar movement is affected by seasonal and temporal aspects and weather conditions. The most common reaction to stressful factors such as traffic, hunting and aversive weather was to reduce movement. The only exception was when wild boar were chased in drive hunts and fled. These results are important for understanding how weather conditions affect optimal foraging strategies and how the animals’ perception of risk affects movement patterns and habitat selection. From a management perspective, my results can be used to reduce crop damages and traffic accidents caused by wild boar. These findings are also useful in understanding how hunting as a management tool affects the space use of wild boar, and consequently can aid managers to select hunting methods that may reduce damages to crops.

AB - The spatial behaviour of an animal is influenced by decisions relating to foraging, movement, avoidance, resting, territorial activity, mating and rearing young. Many of these behaviours can be explained by the optimal foraging theory, exceptions being reproductive behaviours and predator avoidance. Predation risk and associated avoidance behaviors varies across the landscape, resulting in a divergence from patterns predicted by optimal foraging theory, instead optimizing fitness. Such risk effects can be large and affect both individuals and population demography. This thesis focus on external factors affecting movements and habitat selection of wild boar females (N=15-17 depending on the question) using data from GPS collared individuals (N>100.000 data points analyzed) over 4 years in the southern part of Sweden. My results show that habitat selection is affected by season and by risk effects, such as traffic and hunting. Intense traffic diverts wild boar from crossing roads, and reduce the number of traffic accidents when traffic intensity is high. Intense hunting results in fleeing while less intense hunting results in hiding. Hunts that results in flights affects habitat selection until wild boar returned to their homer range. Wild boar perceive crop fields as risky but rewarding habitats, and while using crop fields they prefer to be close to cover such as edges, hedges and ditches. Further, wild boar movement is affected by seasonal and temporal aspects and weather conditions. The most common reaction to stressful factors such as traffic, hunting and aversive weather was to reduce movement. The only exception was when wild boar were chased in drive hunts and fled. These results are important for understanding how weather conditions affect optimal foraging strategies and how the animals’ perception of risk affects movement patterns and habitat selection. From a management perspective, my results can be used to reduce crop damages and traffic accidents caused by wild boar. These findings are also useful in understanding how hunting as a management tool affects the space use of wild boar, and consequently can aid managers to select hunting methods that may reduce damages to crops.

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KW - foraging

KW - global positioning systems

KW - habitats

KW - sus scrofa

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KW - foraging

KW - global positioning systems

KW - habitats

KW - sus scrofa

KW - wild boar

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