Sika Deer Life History Plasticity and Management

About this book

This book provides complete and up-to-date information on sika deer biology and its management, focusing on their life history with an integrated approach of population dynamics, morphology, genetics, and evolution.

The expanding distribution of sika and its increase in population in Japan and other countries are causing damage to agriculture and forestry, impacting ecosystems and affecting other species. We are facing conflicting deer issues regarding the conservation of resource values and pest control of sika deer.

This contributed volume compiles new findings focusing on the ecological plasticity of the sika deer. It aims to clarify the ecological characteristics of the deer by integrating studies of different approaches and provides a perspective for their management.

Sika Deer consists of six parts. Part I introduces the ecological and management background behind the history of sika deer. The following four parts discuss movement ecology (Part II), impact on vegetation and bottom-up effect on sika deer (Part III), impact on ecosystem and its resilience (Part IV), and comparison of life-history characteristics between sika deer and other ungulate species (Part V). The last part (Part VI) covers the science-based management of sika deer.

Contributed by recognized experts and young researchers of sika deer, this book appeals to researchers and professionals in wildlife biology and wildlife management, evolution, population dynamics, morphology, genetics, and reproductive physiology.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Process of Population Expansion of Sika Deer
3. The Impact of Sika Deer on Vegetation in Japan
4. Estimation of Sika Deer Abundance by Harvest-based Model and the Characteristics of their Population Dynamics
5. Variation in the local sika deer density between three areas of Japan with diverse climatic conditions
6. Ecological and evolutionary response of sika deer morphology to varying habitat environments: from body size to tooth wear
7. Reproductive variation of sika deer
8. Movement Patterns of Sika Deer in Hokkaido Region
9. Movement Patterns of Sika Deer in Tohoku Region
10. Movement patterns of sika deer in the mountainous regions of central Honshu
11. Movement Characteristics and Habitat Use of Sika Deer in Kanto Region, Central Japan
11. Movement patterns and activity range characteristics of sika deer in the Tanzawa Mountains, central Japan
13. Movement patterns of sika deer around Mt. Fuji, central Japan
14. Movement Patterns of Sika deer in Western Japan
15. Behavior of sika deer in clear-cut areas, plantations, and their surroundings
16. Effects of high densities of sika deer on vegetation and the restoration goal: Lessons from deer-vegetation interactions on Nakanoshima Island, Lake Toya
17. Irruptive Dynamics of Sika Deer: Search for the Mechanism
18. Food habits and body condition of the sika deer population in the Tanzawa Mountains, central Japans
19. Effects of sika deer and the unique relationship with forest vegetation in Yakushima Island
20. Conserving The Plant Community and Its Resilience Using Deer-Proof Fences in Japan
21. Vertebrate Scavenging on Sika Deer Carcasses and Its Effects on Ecological Processes
22. Impacts of Sika Deer Overabundance on The Structure and Functions of Dung Beetle Communities in Forest Ecosystems
23. Impact of Sika Deer on Soil Properties and Erosion
24. Responses of Ground-layer Vegetation and Soil Properties to Increased Population Density of Sika Deer and Environmental Conditions
25. Successional Pathways of a Warm-Temperate Forest After Disturbance: Effects of Clearcutting and Herbivory
26. Effect of Different Periods of Chronic Deer Herbivory on both Tall Forbs and Soil Seed Banks Following Deer Exclusions in a Damp Beech Forest
27. Indirect effects of deer overgrazing on stream ecosystems
28. Activity Patterns and Habitat Use Between Sika Deer and Japanese Serow
29. Sika in the British Isles: Population Ecology
30. History and Management of Sika Deer on the Delmarva Peninsula
31. The future of sika deer management in New Zealand; Invasive deer or hunting resource?
32. Adaptive Management of Sika Deer Populations on Hokkaido Island, Japan
34. Adaptive Management of Sika Deer in Hyogo Prefecture
35. Subpopulation Structure Based on Landscape Genetics as a Management Unit
36. Future Challenges for Research and Management of Sika Deer.

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