Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The main purpose of this report is a first step to cover the scarcely investigated subject of interspecific competition between roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, and fallow deer, Dama dama. The report focuses on the distance between individuals of roe and fallow in the study area as well as which factors that is affecting the variation in distance depending on fallow deer group size and changing population density over time and in two areas. For additional information the history of the populations, such as harvest and distribution, is also investigated.
The report came to the conclusion that interspecific competition between the species do occur. The elevated distance between individuals of the two species is clearly significant. The most important factor affecting the distance seemed to be the size of the fallow groups. A lower density of fallow seemed to actually lessen the distance between the species. A possible reason could be that the roes got a decreased need of space as the fallows exerted less impact.