Diet composition of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the Natural Park of the Garrotxa volcanic zone (Catalonia, Spain)

Abstract

The present work outlines the results of a study on the food consumed by roe deer carried out in the Natural Park of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone, where 49 roe deer were reintroduced from 1995 to 1998. This is a protected area of about 12,000 ha, in which oak and beech forests predominate. Faecal analysis was chosen as the most appropriate method for sampling diet composition despite the scarcity of faecal samples encountered from 1998 to 2001 (n=30). A total of 7,500 epidermal fragments were identified from these samples. Results showed that ivy (Hedera helix) and bramble (Rubus sp.) formed the bulk of the diet (23% and 21%, respectively). Woody species also formed an important part, reaching 33% of total fragments. Herbs and grasses were only notable in the spring-summer period. Some major vegetation components such as beech (Fagus sylvatica) were rarely consumed by deer.