Comparison of foraging strategies and effects of the Wapiti and Siberian
roe deer on Japanese yew
Abstract
The foraging strategies of sympatric ungulates with similar ecological
niches are important for understanding ecological niche differentiation,
resource utilization, competition, and coexistence and for understanding
the ecological impacts on plant communities in the ecosystem. The
behavior of the wapiti (Cervus elaphus) and Siberian roe deer (Capreolus
pygargus) foraging on Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) has affected its
succession and renewal in the northeastern forests of China, which has
become an urgent problem for the relevant departments. This study
analyzed the foraging strategies of the wapiti and Siberian roe deer on
Japanese yew from July 2021 to January 2024 using field investigations
and infrared camera monitoring in the Muling National Nature Reserve,
Heilongjiang Province, China. It was found that the wapiti and Siberian
roe deer have different foraging strategies in terms of time, space, and
behavior. Temporally, they both preferred to forage for the saplings of
the Japanese yew during the winter season, the degree of overlap in
foraging rhythms was medium (Dhat1=0.67), and the diurnal foraging
activity index (DRAI) of the wapiti was larger than that of the Siberian
roe deer. Spatially, the suitable foraging habitat of the Siberian roe
deer was twice that of the wapiti, and their overlap was low in the
location and direction of saplings and the distance of the seed tree.
Behaviorally, the foraging intensity of the wapiti was heavy, and
Siberian roe deer was low. Foraging reduced the average primary branch
height, number of new branches, and length of lateral branches of
saplings, and the influence of the wapiti was significantly greater than
that of the Siberian roe deer. This study provides a scientific basis
for solving the conservation and management problems of the deer animals
foraging on Japanese yew and contributes to further understanding of the
competition-coexistence mechanism of sympatric species.