Where do semi-domesticated reindeer go and what do they eat? The advantage of exploring the habitat-diet relationship
Tamara Hiltunen (University of Oulu Finland)
Where animal's forage is typically determined using GPS locations, while diets and dietary niches are commonly reconstructed from stable isotopes (δ13C; δ15N). However, studies utilising both these methods only analyse the data using correlations or require extensive data on the habitat. In this talk, I will introduce preliminary results from our current study, whereby we examine how metrics derived from different models using these two types of data can be combined in mixed effects models to give meaningful insights into the habitat diet relationship and the foraging behaviour of animals. By creating a novel way to combine these two data sets, we hope to improve our understanding of the relationships between habitat selection and dietary selection and the impact of climate change on the foraging behaviour of semi-domesticated reindeer and other species. (Hiltunen's profile page.)
Deer overabundance and ecosystem integrity, lessons from the INCREMENTO experiment
Emmanuel Serrano (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain)
There is little experimental evidence about the role of ungulates as ecosystem engineers. In this talk, I'll introduce the early outcomes of the INCREMENTO project, one of these rare manipulative experiments in enclosures with natural vegetation aimed at assessing the role of overabundance on ecosystem integrity. The effects of deer density on vegetation structure, pollinator networks, ants, ticks, and rodents will be discussed. The effects of overabundance on the diet composition and quality of deer will be also presented. (Emmanuel Serrano's profile page.)