Tankink, Josefien (2021) The influence of variation in human disturbance on antipredator behaviour in ungulates. Master's Research Project 2, Ecology and Evolution.
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Abstract
Prey have evolved several types of antipredator behaviour to respond to variation in perceived predation risk. Since predators are able to come and go, prey animals need to make a right perception of risk over time and space. Human recreation has been observed before to affect wildlife in a similar way as predators do. This study aims to describe correlations between ungulate behavioural responses and variation in human disturbance caused by recreation in an anthropogenic landscape. By means of camera trapping, ungulates in natural area the Veluwe, the Netherlands, were analysed in their behavioural response over different levels of human disturbance. The vigilance level, the duration of visits and the number of visits per plot were taken into account as behavioural responses. Both spatial (distance to the closest human path) and temporal (hour of the day, day or night, weather and day of the week) variation in human disturbance were used as predictors. We expected the stronger behavioural responses in areas and times where risk was high, which was during the day (when the park was open to visitors) and close to paths. We hypothesized stronger behavioural responses on days with pleasant weather and during weekends, when recreational pressure, and thereby human disturbance, is generally higher. We found that deer species (roe deer, red deer, and fallow deer) were influenced in their duration of their visit by the distance to the path, where they stayed longer in plots further
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Research Project 2) |
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| Supervisor name: | Smit, C. and Mols, B. |
| Degree programme: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Thesis type: | Master's Research Project 2 |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Mar 2021 12:53 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Mar 2021 12:58 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/24110 |
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