Spatial structure of roe deer populations: towards defining management units at a landscape scale

摘要: Summary 1 A crucial question in wildlife management concerns the definition of ecologically meaningful units. Management action needs to be co-ordinated at appropriate spatial scale. There are few practical tools for delimiting pertinent units large mammals such as ungulates. 2 Previous work has favoured a molecular approach determine genetically distinct units, but this may too costly routine management. In addition, recent studies have revealed fine-scale heterogeneity population dynamics free-ranging ungulates relation environmental variability. 3 We combined analysis (vegetation cover, topography and climate), animal morphology (jaw length) genetic structure (microsatellites) define biologically roe deer Capreolus capreolus Belluno province, north-eastern Italy. Jaw length is sensitive measure density-dependence good proxy temporal variation growth. 4 Spatial variables suggested that study area should divided into two, or possibly four, biogeographical regions altitude habitat type. was significant variability jaw across province clustered two main (with shorter jaws north compared with south), which matched previously defined regions. This structuring also supported by microsatellite analysis, populations, one south. 5 Synthesis applications. A multiparameter approach, combining information data on indices length, could extremely useful defining Indeed, monitoring provide managers simple way index fluctuations time space.