The Role of Anthropogenic Influence on Biological Signal Field (BSF) Characteristics of the Wolf, Canis lupus lupus (Canidae, Carnivora)

• Main Authors: Shkvyria M. G., Yakovlev Ye. B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2016-02-01
• Series: Vestnik Zoologii
• Subjects: biological signal field; białowieża national park; chornobyl exclusion zone; wolf behavior
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/vzoo-2016-0007

The main goal of the current research includes studying the biological signal field (BSF) characteristics of the wolf (Canis lupus lupus Linnaeus, 1758) at different values of anthropogenic load on territories with conservation (Białowieża National park (Poland)) and hunting status of the species (Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukraine)). The research in Białowieża Primeval Forest was conducted in two stages: study of the BSF characteristics of the wolf and finding correlation between data acquired from Ukraine (the first stage), and over-time study of intensity of the biological signal field (the second stage). In result of the first stage, there was no significant dependence on the characteristics of the territory and the differences between the behavior of wolves in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (conservation status of the species) and the Exclusion Zone (game status). During the second stage it was determined that provided variance of the intensity between territory groups was insufficient, the degree of significance to animals of area categories varied with the stages of the pack’s life. It was found that the main factors which govern the character of wolf activity are not the level of the anthropic load and hunting pressure, but periods of the life cycle and spatial structure of groups.