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Carnivores in habitats of current landscape: a comparison based on phototrap recordings
Pyšková, Klára ; Horáček, Ivan (advisor) ; Červený, Jaroslav (referee)
Common carnivore species in the Czech Republic, such as fox, badger, marten, or weasel have not been recently paid much attention. This mammalian group is not easy to monitor but with modern technologies animals can be observed almost undisturbed. I collected data using camera traps in the Polabí region in Central Bohemia, about 30 km from Prague. I placed 73 camera traps in four different habitats (wetland; alluvial forest; mixed forest; and scrub grassland). Each habitat was represented by 3-4 localities in a fragmented landscape, made up of seminatural habitats and human-used areas. Over 366 days of monitoring I recorded 8 carnivore species, one of them non-native (golden jackal). None of the allegedly common invasive species in the Czech Republic (raccoon dog, american mink, raccoon) were found. The habitats did not differ in number of observed species, which is probably due to a low number of species found and the small size of the study area. Habitat preferences and seasonal and circadian activity in my study area generally correspond to the findings of previous ecological studies, but the novel aspect of my research is the robust, statistically analysed results based on long-term quantitative data. One conclusion I consider important from the conservation point of view is that most of our carnivore...
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Feeding ecology of the stone marten (Martes foina) in the Czech Republic
Nováková, Lucie ; Vohralík, Vladimír (advisor) ; Červený, Jaroslav (referee)
The food of the stone marten (Martes foina) was studied in synantrophic enviroment in four localities. Localities were choosen with the aim to follow an urbanization gradient from the center of the city, through its periphery to small villages. The composition of a diet was studied by non-invasive method, by analysis of faeces. Macroscopic remains of the food were divided into eleven categories (mammals, birds, bird eggs, fish, unidentified vertebrates, invertebrates, fruits, vegetative plant parts, anthropogenic material, stones and unidentified remains). 104 different animal and plant taxa were identified. There was often found anthropogenic material. Differences in the diet according the type of enviroment as well as seasonal changes were investigated by comparing of frequency of occurrence and procentual weight of remains. There were found differences between marten's food in urban and rural enviroment, especially as concerned the categories mammals, birds and fruits. Consumption of mammals follows the urbanization gradient, in urban enviroment it is the lowest, in rural localities it is higher. On the contrary, bird frequence was higher in urban environment, in rural enviroment it was lower. Weight of fruit remains was higher in rural localities than in urban ones. There were also seasonal...
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Population density of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Hartmanice district (SW Bohemia, Czech Republic)
Večeřová, Petra ; Červený, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Rohla, Jan (referee)
This diploma thesis was based on frequently discussed topic of population density in hoofed game. The monitored area is in the south-west of Bohemia, in Hartmanice. The greater part of the territory extends into the conservation area and a smaller part od the Šumava National park, with this work focusing on the population density of roe deer. To determine population densities, two methods were used, one direct method and one indirect method. For the direct method, a census method was used for the roe deer from a high seat and the indirect method, a method of counting droppings was used on a sample of regulary cleaned surfaces. Counting was carried out on transects of 200 m2 (100 x 2 m) or (50 x 4 m). The present results indicate that the population of roe deer is seeing a long downward trend. Most roe deer prefer the brushwood at lower altitudes, at an altitude of 525 to 650 m above sea level (asl), with less occuring in the positions of the altitude of 950 to 1125 m asl. The habitat least preferred by roe deer was forests aged 81 years and older.
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Sociální vztahy a synchronizace ve stádech přežvýkavců - vliv na pastevní chování
Šárová, Radka ; Špinka, Marek (advisor) ; Červený, Jaroslav (referee) ; Nekovářová, Tereza (referee)
This thesis addresses the relationships between beef cattle (Bos taurus) group behaviour on pasture, social dominance and individual characteristics such as body weight and age. The thesis is based on three studies performed in a herd of female beef cattle. In the first two studies, GPS collars were used as the main data-collection method, while the third study relied on an extensive dataset of cow dominance relationships. The first study focused on activity synchronization. We assessed whether cows similar to each other in body weight or in reproductive status were more synchronized and whether the timing of activity switches was determined by specific leading animals. We found that the body weight difference in a dyad of animals had a negative influence on their mutual synchronization. There were no leading animal initiating switches in activity. The second study focused on the role of dominant animals in group movements of the herd. There were positive correlations between dominance status of an individual and several measures of leadership during movements, namely the position of the animal at the front of the herd, more direct and shorter trajectories and higher alignment with nearest neighbours and with the whole herd. These results show that herd movements on pasture behaviour were...
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Seasonal variation of the territorial behaviour of the European beaver (Castor fiber L.).
Kadlecová, Hana ; Horáček, Ivan (advisor) ; Červený, Jaroslav (referee)
The presented thesis deals with the temporal and spatial changes in activity of the European beaver (Castor fiber L.) during different seasons. Basic dataset was obtained by continuous telemetric monitoring of selected individuals in years 2008 and 2009 in two different geographical areas, namely in the Bohemian forest and in southern Moravia. The scope of the thesis was to record, evaluate and interpret the behavior of European beaver during the year. I focused myself especially on the beginning and end of activity in relation to incidence of sunrise and sunset, duration of stay in the field, changes in the size of actively-used area and time-duration and length of the movement. In cases where there were more active individuals monitored within the studied area, I also watched for their mutual interaction. In statistical analysis of gained data I also took into account the sex and age of the individuals. Beaver's behavior varies during the year. They are most active in spring and autumn, while in winter their activity decreases significantly. This observation is valid not only for the time duration and length of movement trajectories, but also for the size of actively-used area. The beginning of activity is strongly correlated with the sunset, while the end does not show any correlation with...
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Chamois game in Jeseníky region (N Moravia)
Šlesinger, Ivo ; Červený, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Kušta, Tomáš (referee)
The aim of this study was to compile knowledge of the chamois breeding from their introduction in district Hrubý Jeseník up to now. The knowledge from physiology, morphology and evaluation of environmental surroundings was used to appraise the adaptability. Articles published in literature, journals and web sites became the base of the study. The impact of restrictive measures in consequence of legislative changes valid from 1990 was judged/evaluated. Advisory Board of Regional Authority of Olomouc set up tasks for further successful chamois breeding in contemporary period.
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Towards a better understanding of ungulate diets: a methodological approach
Holá, Michaela ; Červený, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Stádník, Luděk (referee)
Populations of European ungulates have grown substantially over recent decades, resulting in considerable environmental and socio-economic impacts. Availability and quality of natural and supplemental food sources are among the main factors driving their population dynamics. Detailed knowledge of feeding strategies of management-targeted species is therefore of primary importance for their successful management. Over time, methods to study the feeding strategies of animals have also evolved considerably but each has its advantages as well as limitations. This doctoral thesis uses a combination of traditional methods (i.e. stomach content analysis) and novel methods (i.e. stable isotope analysis, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy) to achieve a better understanding of feeding strategies of two important ungulate species (i.e. wild boar and red deer) in the Czech Republic, where their populations are on the rise and supplementary feeding is rampant. Next, this dissertation aims to introduce and to establish a basis for these novel methodological approaches for the study of free-ranging individuals. In this respect, it also addresses methodological issues related to their application in this field.
The diet composition of wild boar was investigated by examining stomach contents in order to identify their dependence on food resources of human origin (i.e. agricultural crops and supplemental foods). Foods of human origin were the dominant diet type and constituted the bulk of the diet of wild boar throughout the year. A necessary prerequisite for application of stable isotope analysis is the trophic discrimination factor (i.e. systematic difference between the isotopic composition of the consumer tissues and that of the diet), which was experimentally determined for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, the two most commonly used in ecology, in hair tissue of wild boar and red deer. Furthermore, possible sources of variation (such as sex, age, body weight, and lactation) on isotopic discrimination were investigated. The results of the experiments provide a starting point for the successful use of stable isotope analysis in field studies on wild boar and red deer. Finally, application of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy was proven to be useful in measuring faecal indices of food quality for red deer. The results of this thesis will contribute towards efficient management of wild boar and red deer in the Czech Republic.
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Population density of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and forest damage in Křivoklát region (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic)
Faifr, Michal ; Červený, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Mrkvičková Kořanová, Diana (referee)
The aim of this study was to determine the population density of deer in the area Křivoklátsko. To detect a population density was used counting dung piles. The work is also characteristic of the whole monitored area, and the deer (Cervus elaphus), which Krivoklatsko abundant. This work also discussed the various census followed by a focus on the method of counting dung piles. Furthermore, it evaluates the incidence not only of deer in forests and damages, as well as the presence of sika deer (Cervus nippon), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and fallow deer (Dama dama) and damage them caused. In this study also highlighted the amount of catch deer in both areas, compared with known population density of deer.
In the discussion we discussed the pros and cons of methods of counting dung piles and accuracy of results.
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Species composition of invertebrates during cadavers colonizatin in shallow graves
Pikal, Lukáš ; Červený, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Hana, Hana (referee)
In this work, I deal with forensic entomology and representation of invertebrates species which colonise carcasses found in shallow graves, covered with a layer of soil. There was a field experiment conducted from mid-May 2015 to mid-September 2015 for the purpose of this topic. It took place in the Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava, in the Kundratice village, where shallow graves were dug in the garden of a family house. There were 12 graves in total. There was a carcass of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus f. domestica, Linné, 1758), each weighing about 2 kg, inserted into each grave and then buried. The distance between the graves was 1.5 m. All the individuals of domestic fowl were killed in the same way under the same conditions. The individual graves were divided into four sectors, each sector containing graves with depths of 10 cm, 30 cm, and 50 cm. Subsequently, one sector was dug up every month, and all developmental stages of insects were picked up from each depth, and the samples were then sorted according to whether they were found in the soil or on the carcase itself. The identified samples were then determined by a specialist. Finally, the findings were compared with literary sources and either refuted or confirmed. The experiment has verified the knowledge that members of the Calliphoridae family do not participate on the decomposing process of buried carcasses.
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