Habitat and roe deer fawn vulnerability to red fox predation.

摘要: 1. Notwithstanding the growing amount of literature emphasizing link between habitat, life-history traits and behaviour, few empirical studies investigated combined effect these parameters on individual predation risk. We direct indirect consequences habitat composition at multiple spatial scales risk by red foxes 151 radio-monitored roe deer fawns. hypothesized that higher resource availability in fragmented agricultural areas increased because of: (i) shorter prey movements, which may increase predictability; (ii) larger litter size faster growth rates, detectability species adopting a hiding neonatal anti-predator strategy. The sharing risky among littermates was expected to promote whole-litter losses as result predation. 2. landscape-scale negatively affected pre-weaning but did not influence rates or size. Predation best described interplay movements fine-scale fragmentation: mobility encounter rate highly home ranges, while it reduced forest-dominated with clumped resources decreased predictability. This is one first demonstrations movement patterns can be an efficient strategy when adjusted local conditions. 3. In accordance previous documenting existence family effects (i.e. non-independence siblings) survival, survived died together more often than chance. addition, our study specifically demonstrated occurrence behaviourally mediated risk: after fox killed fawn probability sibling being within days rose from 20% 47%, likely win-stay return previously rewarding site) adopted predator. Hence, predator's hunting has potential raise mortality disproportionately predator abundance. 4. There increasing evidence fawns inhabiting productive predator-free habitats are granted lifetime fitness benefits; advantages, however, cancelled out increases very same high-productivity areas, might thus turn into attractive sinks.