The influence of climatic factors on decomposition and disappearance of pellet-groups: case study of Persian fallow deer in Dasht-e-Naz Wildlife Refuge

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Faculty Member (Lecturer), Ph.D. Environmental Science Department Faculty of Natural Resources & Marine Sciences Tarbiat Modares University (TMU)

Abstract

Faecal standing crop pellet group counts have been widely used in forested habitats to estimate deer population size. To convert pellet group density to deer density, Knowledge of disappearance rate of pellet groups is necessary. The disappearance rate of pellet groups may be different in different environments and can affect the accuracy of abundance estimation. We estimated decomposition and disappearance rate of Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) pellet groups in Dasht-e-Naz wildlife refuge, northern Iran, over a 12-month period. Labeling and monitoring pellet groups for decay was conducted at strip transects. Mean time ± SD to pellet group decomposition and pellet group disappearance were 94.84 ± 5.59 SE and 45.79 ± 2.71 days, respectively. Pellet groups persisted longest in summer and shortest in spring. The time to pellet group decomposition was significantly correlated with daily evaporation, mean daily air temperature and mean wind speed. The deposition of pellet groups became equal to their decay from 70-140th days and from 270-310th days since the start of the experiment suggesting a steady state system of the dung on the ground.

Keywords

Acevedo, O., Ferreres, J., Jaroso, R., Durn, M., Escuderoc, M.A., Marco, J., Gortzar, C., 2010. Estimating roe deer abundance from pellet group counts in Spain: An assessment of methods suitable for Mediterranean woodlands. Ecological Indicators 10, 1226–1230.
Acevedo, P., Ruiz-Fons, F., Vicente, J., Reyes-Garcıa, A.R., Alzaga, V., Gortazar, C., 2008. Estimating red deer abundance in a wide range of management situations in Mediterranean habitats Journal of Zoology 276, 37–47.
Alves, J., da Silva, A.A., Soares, A.M.V.M., Fonseca, C., 2013. Pellet group count methods to estimate red deer densities: precision, potential accuracy and efficiency', Mammalian Biology 78, 134-41.
Barnes, R.F.W., Barnes, K.L., 1992: Estimating decay rates of elephants dung-piles in forest. - African Journal of Ecology 30, 316-321.
Camargo-Sanabria, A.A., Mandujano, S., 2011. Comparison of pellet-group counting methods to estimate population density of white-tailed deer in a Mexican tropical dry forest. Tropical Conservation Science 4, 230-243.
Chapman, N.G., 2004. Faecal pellet of Reeves Muntjac, Muntiacus Reevesi: Defection rate, Decomposition period, Size and weight, European Journal of Wildlife research 50, 141: 145.
Clutton-Brock, T.H., Guinness, F.E., Albon, S.D., 1982. Red Deer: Behavior and Ecology of Two Sexes. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Fernandez-de-Simon, J., Díaz-Ruiz, F., Villafuerte, R., Delibes-Mateos, M., Ferreras, P., 2011. Assessing predictors of pellet persistence in European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus: towards reliable population estimates from pellet count. Wildlife Biology 17, 317-325
Hanski, I., Cambefort, Y., 1991. Dung Beetle Ecology. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Hemami, M.R., Dolman, P.M., 2005. The disappearance of muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) pellet groups in a pine forest of lowland England. European Journal of Wildlife Research 51, 19–24.
Hemami, M.R., Watkinson, A.R., Dolman, P.M., 2004. Population densities and habitat associations of introduced muntjac Muntiacus reevesi and native roe deer Capreolus capreolus in a lowland pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 215, 224–238.
Iborra, O.L., Lumaret, J.P., 1997: Validity limits of the pellet group counts in wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Mammalia 61, 205-218.
Koike, S., Soga, M., Enari, H., Kozakai, C., Nemoto, Y., 2013. Seasonal changes and altitudinal variation in deer fecal pellet decay. European Journal of Wildlife Research 59, 765–768
Laing, S.E., Buckland, S.T., Burn, R.W., Lambie, D., Amphlett, A., 2003. Dung and nest surveys: estimating decay rates. Journal of Applied Ecology 40, 1102–1111.
Legakis, A., 1994. Community structure and species richness in the Mediterranean-type soil fauna. In: Arianoutsou, M., Groves, R.H. (Eds.), Plant-Animal Interactions in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp. 37–46.
Lehmkuhl, J.F., Hansen, C.A., Sloan, K., 1994. Elk pellet-group decomposition and detectability in coastal forests of Washington. Journal of Wildlife Management 58, 664–669.
Lumaret, J.P., Kadiri, N., Bertrand, M., 1992. Changes in resources: consequences for the dynamics of dung beetle communities. Journal of Applied Ecology 29, 349-356.
Marques, F.F.C., Buckland, S.T., Goffin, D., Dixon, C.E., Borchers, D.L., Mayle, B.A., Peace, A.J., 2001. Estimating deer abundance from line transect surveys of dung: sika deer in southern Scotland. Journal of Applied Ecology 38, 349–363.
Massei, G., Bacon, P., Genov, P.V., 1998. Fallow deer and wild boar pellet group disappearance in a Mediterranean area. Journal of Wildlife Management 62, 1086–1094.
Mayle, B.A., 1996. Progress in predictive management of deer populations in British woodlands. Forest Ecology Management 88, 187–198.
Mayle, B.A., Peace, A.J., Gill, R.M.A., 1998. How Many Deer? A Field Guide to Estimating Deer Population Size. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh
McClanahan, T.R., 1986: Quick population survey method using faecal droppings and a steady state assumption. African Journal of Ecology 24, 37-39.
Murray, D., Ellsworth, E., Zack, A., 2005. Assessment of potential bias with snowshoe hare fecal pellet-plot counts. Journal of Wildlife Management 69, 385-395.
Plhal, R., Kamler, J., Homolka, M., 2014. Faecal pellet group counting as a promising method of wild boar population density estimation. Acta Theriologica 59, 561-569.
Plumptre, A.J., Harris, S., 1995. Estimating the biomass of large mammalian herbivores in a tropical montane forest: a method of faecal counting that avoids assuming a ‘steady state’ system. Journal of Applied Ecology 32, 111–120.
Putman, R.J., 1984. Facts from faeces. Mammal Review 14, 79–97.
Smart, J.C.R., Ward, A.I., White, P.C.L., 2004. Monitoring woodland deer populations in the UK: an imprecise science. Mammal Review 34, 99–114.
Staines, B.W., Ratcliffe, P.R. 1987. Estimating the abundance of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) and their current status in Great Britain. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London 58, 131–152.
Tsaparis, D., Katsanevakis, S., Ntolka, E., Legakis, A., 2009. Estimating dung decay rates of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in different habitat types of a Mediterranean ecosystem: an information theory approach. European Journal of Wildlife Research 55, 167–172.
Wilson, G.J., Delahay, R.J., 2001. A review of methods to estimate the abundance of terrestrial carnivores using field signs and observation. Wildlife Research 28, 151–164.