Skip to main content
Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2007

Distance rules for minimum counts of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx family groups under different ecological conditions

Linnell JDC, Odden J, Andren H, Liberg O, Andersen R, Moa P, Kvam T, Broseth H, Segerstrom P, Ahlqvist P, Schmidt K, Jedrzejewski W, Okarma H

Abstract

Monitoring of lynx Lynx lynx populations in Scandinavia is largely based around unreplicated minimum counts of family groups, i.e. adult females with dependent kittens. When observations cannot be separated from each other on the basis of back-tracking in the snow it is desirable to use a distance rule to separate observations of groups that are so far apart that they are unlikely to be derived from the same group. We have analysed radio-telemetry derived movement data from five study areas, corresponding to three ecologically different regions, in Scandinavia, and included data from Poland for comparison. We derive examples of two different distance rules; one is a static rule based on home-range size and length which is suitable for observations accumulated during a whole winter, and the other is a dynamic rule suitable for observations collected within 1-7 days of each other. Because of inter-study area variation in home-range size and movement there is a need to use different rules in different regions. Within Scandinavia, average maximum home-range lengths varied from 28 to 54 km, and average maximum daily distances travelled varied from eight to 16 km in the three regions. This implies that locally collected movement data are a prerequisite for application of this type of methodology

Published in

Wildlife Biology
2007, volume: 13, number: 4, pages: 447-455
Publisher: WILDLIFE BIOLOGY

Authors' information

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Segerström, Peter
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Ahlqvist, Per
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Jedrzejewski, Wlodzimierz
Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN)
Moa, Pål
Okarma, Henryk
Schmidt, Krysztof
Bröseth, Henrik
Linnell, John
Odden, John
Andersen, Reidar
Kvam, Tor

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2981/0909-6396(2007)13[447:DRFMCO]2.0.CO;2

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/16858