How does local weather predict red deer home range size at different temporal scales

摘要: 1. There is a rapidly growing literature on how climate affects populations of vertebrates. For large herbivorous mammals, most attention has been paid to demographic responses variation. Much less information available regarding animal behaviour, i.e. the mechanisms. Further, appropriate measurement scale variables remains debated. Here, we investigate local determine home range sizes at four temporal scales using Borger-method GPS telemetry data from 47 female red deer Cervus elaphus L. in Norway. 2. If operates directly immediate activity level animal, predict show season-specific variation short (weekly-daily) related temperature and precipitation. operate indirectly through plant growth, rather be apparent longer time (biweekly-monthly), during summer only. 3. At all size was positively correlated with winter negatively summer, while effect precipitation season- scale-specific, except when accumulating as snow. Extensive snow cover decreased size, indicating direct effects climate. 4. The weaker shortest compared longest (monthly-biweekly), day length only monthly daily scale. had size. This consistent climatic operating but cannot exclude certain even scales. 5. We climate-home correlations measured over different can used infer indirect Insight behavioural basis enables more accurate predictions possible nonlinear relationships future global warming.