Impact of large carnivores on forest regeneration in selected parts of the West Carpathians

Lalge, Ajinkya Bharat

A positive predator-prey population dynamics is important to sustain a healthy ecosystem. When this gap is widened it can have adverse effect on the particular ecosystem. Predators play an important role to keep the population of prey species in check. Predation also influences the size of the prey population by acting as a control. Predator and prey evolve together in a constant bid for survival. A healthy population of the apex predators also gives an indication of the health of the ecosystem. In an environment which is rapidly altered by humans for commercial and recreational needs it becomes extremely important to study the prey-predator interaction and the effects it has on the ecosystem. The effect of large carnivores is thought to extend down the food web to herbivores and to plants causing a trophic cascade. In the Czech Republic where the forests play a vital role economically there was a need to assess this Impact. We carried out some research in the west Carpathian Mountains which fall in the eastern part of Czech Republic to assess the impact large carnivores have on forest regeneration. The Beskydy Mountains is home to 3 large carnivore species namely Wolf (Canis lupus), Lynx (Lynx lynx), and Brown bear (Ursus arctos). The remaining carnivore species are not considered here, but we acknowledge that also they can play an important and varied role in communities. The prey species include Red deer (Cervus elaphus), Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and Wild boar (Sus scrofa) while other small herbivores were not considered.

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