Monitoring Red Deer and Roe Deer Population Density in Yedigoller-Yesiloz Wildlife Reserves in Turkey

International audienceCJUE 4 déc. 2014, aff. C-295/13, D. 2015. 7

Monitoring Red Deer and Roe Deer Population Density in Yedigoller-Yesiloz Wildlife Reserves in Turkey

Wildlife inventories are very new in Turkey. Thus, there is no enough data about red deer and roe deer population. However, these studies have gained momentum in recent years. In this study, it is aimed to determine and to monitor status of red deer and roe deer population densities. In the study, it was used a kind of drive count which was combined with point count. The study was conducted between 2003 and 2010 in October, once a year. Red deer and roe deer densities were determined between 0.45 and 1.19 red deer/km(2); 1.48 and 2.05 roe deer/km(2). Also, average of annual growth rates were estimated for red deer (0.135) and roe deer (-0.0059). The study showed that whilst the red deer population has been increasing, roe deer population has been decreasing in long term period

Arthropod diversity in pure oak forests of coppice origin in northern Thrace (Turkey)

Oak (Quercus spp.) forests are among the most important forest types in Turkey. In the past, oak forests were managed through coppice clear-cutting, but in recent decades they have mostly been converted to high forest. This study was aimed at explaining how arthropod diversity is affected during conversion from coppice to high oak forest and during the early stages of coppice succession. We tested the hypothesis that arthropod richness, abundance and diversity in coppice oak sites varied according to stand age and a number of other forest characteristics. Arthropod communities were sampled in 50 plots using four different methods: pitfall traps, sweep nets, sticky cards and cloth shaking. A total of 13 084 individuals were collected and classified into 193 Recognizable Taxonomic Units (RTUs), with the most RTUs and the greatest number of specimens captured by sweep netting. We identified 17 taxa within RTU’s with more than 1% of the captured arthropods, which constituted 75% of the total specimens. The number of RTUs varied significantly according to trap type. Arthropod richness and Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index (H′) increased with elevation and precipitation. In young (1-40 yrs-old) and middle-aged (41-80 yrs) stands, arthropod biodiversity was not significantly affected by stand type, but slightly increased with diameter at breast height and tree height. Forest characteristics, such as the litter layer, understory and crown diameter, weakly influenced arthropod richness and abundance. Cluster analysis revealed that stand types and trap types differed taxonomically. Principal component analysis showed that stand types were clearly separated by the stand parameters measured. Insect families (Formicidae, Thripidae, Lygaeidae, Dolichopodidae, Luaxanidae, Cicadellidae and Ichneumonidae) could potentially be used as indicators of coppice oak conditions. As the coppice oak changes to mature forest, further studies are needed to better assess the relation between arthropods, forest types and structural characteristics of stands

Monitoring Red Deer and Roe Deer Population Density in Yedigoller-Yesiloz Wildlife Reserves in Turkey

Wildlife inventories are very new in Turkey. Thus, there is no enough data about red deer and roe deer population. However, these studies have gained momentum in recent years. In this study, it is aimed to determine and to monitor status of red deer and roe deer population densities. In the study, it was used a kind of drive count which was combined with point count. The study was conducted between 2003 and 2010 in October, once a year. Red deer and roe deer densities were determined between 0.45 and 1.19 red deer/km(2); 1.48 and 2.05 roe deer/km(2). Also, average of annual growth rates were estimated for red deer (0.135) and roe deer (-0.0059). The study showed that whilst the red deer population has been increasing, roe deer population has been decreasing in long term period

Evaluation on management of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) population in Bolu-Sazakici hunting ground

Bolu-sazakici sample hunting ground covered 9132 ha divided into 360 sample areas of 25 ha each 50 of them were sampled by means of the simple random sampling method. In the sample areas "Point Counts" was applied and the population of wild boar density and numbers were determined. As a result, it was estimated that 734 wild boars inhabit the area. Of these individuals, 79 were males, 238 were females and 417 were piglets. The wild boar density in the area was determined as 8.03 individual 100 ha(-1). In this paper first of all, the density of wild boar population was determined by the point counts method, then it was tried to evaluate its management for Bolusezakici sample hunting ground

Observation on ornithofauna of Kocaeli-Yuvacik dam watershed in Turkey

The objective of this study was to determine the birdspecies in the Yuvacik Dam watershed in the province of Kocaeli, The total area of the study site was 25800 ha, and was subdivided to 60 plots (the size of each plot, 2x2 km). Observations and inventory for each species were carried out. A total of 130 species belonging to 38 genus of 16 orders were identified. Eighty-seven were classified as Passeriformes. Forty two species breed in the region. A total of 21223 birds were counted. According to IUCN criteria, two species, (Ficedula semitorquata (Von H., 1885) and Sitta krueperi (Pelzeln, 1863), were categorized as near threatened (NT)

Winter diets of long-eared owl (Asio otus) in Thrace, Turkey

Long-eared owls (Asio otus) are common avian predators in Turkey. Their diet consists primarily of small mammals, but they also feed on bats, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and fish. Limited research has been conducted on long-eared owl diets and pellet characteristics in Turkey, yet this knowledge would improve our understanding of their ecological role in the environment. We investigated prey items in pellets at winter sites of Asio otus in Edirne, Kirklareli, Tekirdag, and Istanbul. We collected 2143 pellets from winter sites and counted 3458 prey items. We identified 30 taxa including 16 mammals, 12 birds and 2 insects. Asio otus primarily consumed small mammal species (97.9%) which consisted mainly of rodents (89.6%, including Cricetidae 45.95%, Muridae 43.7%), Eulipotyphla (1.2%), and unidentified mammals (7.1%). A small proportion of birds (1.9%) and insects (0.2%) also were consumed. Asio otus inhabited small coniferous woodlands at edge of farmlands during winter, but their diet varied with location. Muridae were primarily consumed in Istanbul and Tekirdag, whereas Cricetidae were mostly consumed in Kiklareli and Edirne. Our study shows that Asio otus feeding habits shift depending on prey abundance and that they are not specialists for Microtus species only.Istanbul University BAP (IU BAP; Science Research Project Unit) [54122]; IU BAPThis study was supported by Istanbul University BAP (IU BAP; Science Research Project Unit) within the scope of Project No: 54122, we thank IU BAP for their support. We thank to Betul Emir Seven, Eray Yaman, and Onur Unal for helping us clean the pellets in our project. And we special thanks to James T. Anderson for revising scientific content and language of our manuscript.WOS:0005955998000052-s2.0-8509723421

Spring migration of the White Stork, Ciconia ciconia, and the Black Stork, Ciconia nigra, over the Bosphorus (Aves: Ciconiidae)

The spring migration of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus)) and the Black Stork (C. nigra (Linnaeus)) over the Bosphorus, one of the migration bottlenecks of the eastern European population, was studied in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 at a ridge north of Sarver close to the Black Sea. The number of White Storks counted per season was up to 119,381 in 2008, but it was less than half of that in 2006 and 2009. These big fluctuations do not reflect population trends but are probably due to slight shifts in migration routes from year to year. The number of Black Storks varied between 1,118 in 2006 and 3,052 in 2008. The medians of spring migration were 6 April for White Storks and 17 April for Black Storks

Autumn migration of the White Stork, Ciconia ciconia, and the Black Stork, C-nigra, over the Bosphorus (Aves: Ciconiidae)

The Bosphorus is one of the main migration routes for soaring birds in Europe. Migrating White Storks and Black Storks have been counted at Buyuk Camlica hill in the four autumn seasons of 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 for 78 days each year. The numbers recorded are significantly lower than those counted in the1970's, and it is discussed whether this decline could be related to a change in migration routes caused by an increase in the size of the urban area of the City of Istanbul. The population of Istanbul has increased from 3.0 million in 1970 to 13.2 million in 2010

Bird composition and diversity in oak stands under variable coppice management in Northwestern Turkey

Coppice management results in profound differences in forest structure and composition, which in turn can modify habitat value for bird species. We measured bird species richness and composition at 50 sample plots in pure oak forest stands in northwestern Turkey, which differed in age, cover and height in association with coppice management. We recorded a total of 38 bird species and 699 individuals across all stands. Regression-based multimodel inference showed that structural features of forest stands strongly affect bird diversity and abundance. While canopy cover and tree height affect bird diversity positively, elevation of sampling plots, tree density and tree diameter at breast height (DBH) had a negative effect. In addition, constrained ordination analyses revealed that canopy cover was the most important factor influencing bird species composition. Forest stands that have 42-85% canopy cover, i.e., a few (2009-2580 oak trees) large tall (13.36-15.78 m) trees, were the most preferred habitat by bird species. However, we also found that different bird species favor different stand structural features. Thus, variation in stand structure from maintaining some coppice management across the landscape may be beneficial for rare or endangered species and result in greater landscape level biodiversity