Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings

In landscapes affected by human activity, understanding the spatial dynamics, predation behaviour and habitat preferences of large carnivores is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of tempe...

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Дата:2025
Автори: Cherepanyn, R. M, Franchuk, M. V., Kubala, J., Andreychuk, Y. M., Yamelynets, T. S., Signer, J., Vykhor, B. I., Dykyy, I. V.
Формат: Стаття
Мова:English
Опубліковано: Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2025
Онлайн доступ:https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/730
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Назва журналу:Journal Zoodiversity

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Journal Zoodiversity
id zoodiv-article-730
record_format ojs
spelling zoodiv-article-7302025-08-26T09:45:54Z Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings Cherepanyn, R. M Franchuk, M. V. Kubala, J. Andreychuk, Y. M. Yamelynets, T. S. Signer, J. Vykhor, B. I. Dykyy, I. V. Eurasian lynx home range MCP KDE AKDE Polissia Ukraine In landscapes affected by human activity, understanding the spatial dynamics, predation behaviour and habitat preferences of large carnivores is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of temperate and boreal forests in Europe and Asia. However, the ecological patterns and behavior of lynx populations in Ukraine remain poorly studied. This study, based on GPS telemetry data collected from February to August 2023 in the Rivnenskyi Nature Reserve and adjacent territories, is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of lynx home range, predation ecology and habitat selection in Ukraine. The average annual home range size of the lynx ranged from 181 to 255 km², depending on the home range estimator used (95 % MCP, KDE, and AKDE), with significant seasonal variation: larger ranges in summer (172 km², 95 % MCP) compared to smaller winter ranges (113.2 km², 95 % MCP). The lynx primarily preyed on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus), occasionally targeting smaller prey and carnivores, including the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). Kills and resting sites were located in dense, low-visibility areas such as swampy coniferous and deciduous forests. Moreover, the study demonstrated that lynx actively avoided human settlements and roads, particularly during summer, highlighting the influence of anthropogenic factors. While our findings align with patterns observed in other European lynx populations, they also reveal regional variations driven by local landscape features. Of the lynx telemetry observations, 30.5% occurred within protected areas and 69.5% in forestry enterprises, degraded marshlands and hunting grounds. These results emphasise the importance of spatial ecology in carnivore conservation and highlight the need for continued monitoring to assess the impact of human activity on lynx populations in Ukraine. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights for developing targeted conservation strategies involving local communities and stakeholders for the species in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. It also emphasises the need for standardised monitoring to facilitate comparative analyses of lynx ecology across different regions, including the Baltic and the Carpathians. Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2025-06-26 Article Article application/pdf https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/730 10.15407/zoo2025.04.327 Zoodiversity; Vol. 59 No. 4 (2025): Zoodiversity Zoodiversity (Vestnik Zoologii); Том 59 № 4 (2025): Zoodiversity 2707-7268 2707-725X 10.15407/zoo2025.04 en https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/730/331 Copyright (c) 2025 Roman Cherepanyn, Mykhailo Franchuk, Jakub Kubala, Yuriy Andreychuk, Taras Yamelynets, Johannes Signer, Bohdan Vykhor, Ihor Dykyy
institution Journal Zoodiversity
baseUrl_str
datestamp_date 2025-08-26T09:45:54Z
collection OJS
language English
topic_facet Eurasian lynx
home range
MCP
KDE
AKDE
Polissia
Ukraine
format Article
author Cherepanyn, R. M
Franchuk, M. V.
Kubala, J.
Andreychuk, Y. M.
Yamelynets, T. S.
Signer, J.
Vykhor, B. I.
Dykyy, I. V.
spellingShingle Cherepanyn, R. M
Franchuk, M. V.
Kubala, J.
Andreychuk, Y. M.
Yamelynets, T. S.
Signer, J.
Vykhor, B. I.
Dykyy, I. V.
Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings
author_facet Cherepanyn, R. M
Franchuk, M. V.
Kubala, J.
Andreychuk, Y. M.
Yamelynets, T. S.
Signer, J.
Vykhor, B. I.
Dykyy, I. V.
author_sort Cherepanyn, R. M
title Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings
title_short Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings
title_full Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings
title_fullStr Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings
title_full_unstemmed Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings
title_sort spatial dynamic and ecology of a male eurasian lynx, lynx lynx (carnivora, felidae), in volyn polissia, ukraine: first gps-gsm telemetry findings
description In landscapes affected by human activity, understanding the spatial dynamics, predation behaviour and habitat preferences of large carnivores is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of temperate and boreal forests in Europe and Asia. However, the ecological patterns and behavior of lynx populations in Ukraine remain poorly studied. This study, based on GPS telemetry data collected from February to August 2023 in the Rivnenskyi Nature Reserve and adjacent territories, is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of lynx home range, predation ecology and habitat selection in Ukraine. The average annual home range size of the lynx ranged from 181 to 255 km², depending on the home range estimator used (95 % MCP, KDE, and AKDE), with significant seasonal variation: larger ranges in summer (172 km², 95 % MCP) compared to smaller winter ranges (113.2 km², 95 % MCP). The lynx primarily preyed on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus), occasionally targeting smaller prey and carnivores, including the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). Kills and resting sites were located in dense, low-visibility areas such as swampy coniferous and deciduous forests. Moreover, the study demonstrated that lynx actively avoided human settlements and roads, particularly during summer, highlighting the influence of anthropogenic factors. While our findings align with patterns observed in other European lynx populations, they also reveal regional variations driven by local landscape features. Of the lynx telemetry observations, 30.5% occurred within protected areas and 69.5% in forestry enterprises, degraded marshlands and hunting grounds. These results emphasise the importance of spatial ecology in carnivore conservation and highlight the need for continued monitoring to assess the impact of human activity on lynx populations in Ukraine. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights for developing targeted conservation strategies involving local communities and stakeholders for the species in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. It also emphasises the need for standardised monitoring to facilitate comparative analyses of lynx ecology across different regions, including the Baltic and the Carpathians.
publisher Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
publishDate 2025
url https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/730
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