2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
The effect of crop consumption on physical and reproductive performance and spatial distribution pattern in sika deer
| Project/Area Number |
19K20492
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 64040:Social-ecological systems-related
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| Research Institution | National Agriculture and Food Research Organization |
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Principal Investigator |
Hata Ayaka 国立研究開発法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構, 畜産研究部門, 研究員 (30781695)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | ニホンジカ / 安定同位体 / 農作物 / 個体群動態 / 空間分布 / 大型哺乳類 / 農作物被害 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Sika deer causing serious agricultural damage in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the relative dietary contribution of agricultural crops by nitrogen stable isotope analysis. We investigated the effect of crop consumption on body growth and pregnancy rate and spatial distribution pattern. We found that young deer (≦4 years old) that were more likely to consume crops tended to be larger body size and have a higher reproductive rate. This result indicates that crop consumption can induce precocious maturity in younger individuals. We also found that female deer in proximity to crop fields during the winter and spring were more likely to be crop-foraging individuals. Furthermore, the likelihood of crop foraging by females decreased by half as the distance to crop fields increased to 5-10km. The data suggested that preventing deer intrusion into crop fields and selective culling of crop-foraging deer are important to suppress further agricultural crop damage by deer.
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| Free Research Field |
生態学、野生動物管理学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
農作物への長期的な依存が野生シカ個体の早熟化現象をもたらし、個体数の更なる増加に寄与する可能性が示唆されたことは、農地を含む景観に生息する動物の個体群動態を理解し、管理方針を検討する上で重要な情報である。また、同一個体群内であっても農作物依存度には個体差が存在すること、農作物依存個体の空間分布傾向には偏りが存在することを明らかにしたことは、農業被害の低減を目的とした加害個体の捕獲等、より効率的・効果的な管理労力の投入場所の選定に寄与する。本研究成果を礎として農作物加害個体を対象とした管理手法の更なる開発が進むことで、野生動物による農業被害の低減と個体群の保全の両立に寄与できるだろう。
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