Unit:
Τομέας Ζωολογίας - Θαλάσσιας ΒιολογίαςLibrary of the School of Science
Author:
Τσαπάρης Δημήτρης
Dissertation committee:
Αναστάσιος Λεγάκις Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής (Επιβλέπων), Γιώργος Κωτούλας Ερευνητής Α', Ρόζα-Μαρία Τζανεννετάτου-Πολυμένη Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια
Original Title:
Γενετική ποικιλότητα και στοιχεία οικολογίας των πληθυσμών του ζαρκαδιού (Capreolus capreolus) στην Ελλάδα
Summary:
The study focused on two major axes: a) the investigation of Greek roe deer
genetic diversity and b) the evaluation of the potential use of indirect
methods based on faecal pellet group counts for estimating density and
abundance of roe deer populations.
In order to estimate the levels of genetic diversity in Greek roe deer, samples
were collected from 9 populations (8 natural and one enclosed captive
population). The mitochondrial control region and 14 microsatellites were used
as molecular markers in the genetic analysis. The genetic diversity of local
populations in Greece is lower in relation to that of thriving populations of
other countries, possibly because of their small size. This fact, combined with
the possible genetic isolation, makes the Greek populations particularly
vulnerable to further genetic degradation and underlines the need for
specialized management and protection.
In order to evaluate the potential use of indirect methods of pellet group
counts, I performed two time-independent pilot studies trying to assess the
abundance of an enclosed population in the Kalavryta region. The Faecal
Accumulation Rate (FAR) method was applied in the first study while the Faecal
Standing Crop (FSC) method in the second. The success of population surveys at
Kalavryta shows that these methods can be applied in mountainous Mediterranean
ecosystems of Greece as well, giving an alternative for reliable estimates of
roe deer population size. The FSC with distance sampling is proposed as the
most suitable method for application in monitoring programs, mainly because it
allows more intensive sampling at a lower cost in time and manpower.
Keywords:
Roe deer, Genetic diversity, Abundance estimation, Management, Mammals
Number of references:
433
