Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Roe deer and wild boar are both highly successful species of cervid found across much of Europe, and while similarities exist between them, to what extent do wild boar impact the daily activity pattern of roe deer at feeding sites? While a few studies explore interspecific interactions between ungulate species in Sweden, only a little research has been done on how wild boar and roe deer interact. This study aims to minimize the gap in knowledge surrounding these two species and the way they interact. I used GPS collars fitted onto wild boar and roe deer from 2012 – 2023 to study how roe deer spatially interact within their homeranges with wild boar, and to further study whether an increasing density of wild boar has altered the daily activity pattern of roe deer at supplementary feeding sites inside the Grimsö Wildlife Research Area. Roe deer were found to show avoidance towards wild boar. Furthermore, the study showed that roe deer changed their activity pattern at supplementary feeding sites by visiting closer to midday than sunset, when the density of wild boar increased in the study area. These results suggest that there is a level of interference competition occurring between these two species, but further research would be needed to fully explore this in the future.