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Zimmermann, F.; Breitenmoser-Wrsten, C.; Breitenmoser, U.
Dispersal of subadult lynxes (_Lynx lynx_) in Switzerland
2007  Gazette des Grands Pr‚dateurs (22): 12-15

Dispersal of subadult Lynx in Switzerland. Dispersal influences the dynamics and persistence of populations, the distribution and abundance of species, and gives the communities and ecosystems their characteristic texture in space and time. The Eurasian lynx is a medium sized solitary carnivore that has been re-introduced in the Alps in the early 1970 and currently occurs in rather small populations, where dispersal is believed to play a prominent role for the recolonisation of unsettled areas and persistence of subpopulations. Between 1988 and 2001 we studied the spatio-temporal behaviour of subadult Eurasian lynx in two re-introduced populations in Switzerland, based on 22 juveniles in the northwest Alps and 17 juveniles in the Jura region, to understand the factors influencing dispersal. Age at independence can range from 9.3-10.6 months. Independence began from January to the beginning of May with a peak in April. After independence, subadults stayed a few days in the maternal home range. The mean dispersal distance in the high density population (1,4-1,5 resident animals per 100 kmę) was 25.9 km compared to 63.1 km in the low density population (0,7-0,8 resident animals/100 kmę). Dispersal distances in the high density population - shorter than those reported in other Eurasian lynx studies but comparable to those observed in an Iberian lynx population - are limited by habitat restriction hindering connections with neighbouring population.

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