Scale-dependent trade-offs in foraging by European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) during winter

Summary

We studied food preferences, patch and habitat selection of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) by snow-tracking radio-tagged individuals. To account for the possible biases patch/habitat selection have on measures of food preferences, we adopted a new method that compared diet choice with availability within each forage patch successively, rather than to some home range or study area average. There was no difference in food preference between males and females or between day and night. When compared to random sites 50 m from feeding site (patch scale), selection was random with regard to cover, but feeding sites had a higher food availability index than random sites. Roe deer selected feeding sites with more cover during cold weather, whereas the food availability index had no effect at this scale (habitat scale). Roe deer selected more open habitat and feeding sites closer to human settlement at night and as snow depth increased. Female roe deer tended to select more hidden foraging sites than did males. Direct evidence of a trade-off was found between selection of food availability and canopy cover/distance to human settlement, but not between food availability and hiding cover.