IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Schmidt, K.; Kowalczyk, R.; Fickel, J.; Ozolins, J.; Mannil, P. | |
| Conservation of the Eurasian Lynx in Fragmented Habitat of Eastern Europe | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
The Eurasian lynx living in NE Poland are on the westernmost limit of the natural range of the species and they occupy highly fragmented habitat. Research conducted in Bialowieza Primeval Forest (BPF) showed that the lynx population is highly vulnerable to exploitation by humans. Their current range in Poland also contracted during recent 20 years. Data on lynx ecology in BPF show that these felids rely specifically on roe deer - its staple prey, utilize large (up to 300 km2) home ranges, are dependent on forest habitat and its population maintenance is supported via dispersal among neighboring forest patches. We hypothesized that the ecological circumstances for lynx in NE Poland may create obstacles for their population genetic diversity. We performed genetic analyses of microsatellite DNA of lynx samples from BPF and compared with those from Latvia and Estonia, where lynx occur in a nearly continuous habitat. Lynx from BPF had significantly lower genetic variation than those from continuous range. There was also significant genetic structuring among the populations (FST: 0.11 - 0.15). The results suggest that the peripheral populations of Eurasian lynx may be genetically isolated from the core of the species range, thus being exposed to the increased risk of extinction. |
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