1. Individual variation in leopard (Panthera pardus) prey composition in Namibian farmlands highlights the importance of wild prey over livestockMaximilian L. Allen, Nik Šabeder, Teresa Oliveira, Ruben Portas, Anamarija Žagar, Joerg Melzheimer, Bettina Wachter, Miha Krofel, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Human-carnivore conflict, particularly involving livestock depredation, remains a major threat to large carnivore conservation worldwide. To protect their livelihood, farmers often attempt to remove “problem” individuals that specialize in killing livestock, although empirical support for such specialized individuals is limited. Leopards (Panthera pardus) are widespread carnivores that are often involved in human-wildlife conflicts, but most studies have focused on protected areas, even though most of their range is unprotected. We tracked 29 leopards for an average of 422 days over ten years on freehold farmlands of central Namibia to investigate their foraging ecology. We investigated 455 clusters of GPS locations (which often indicate prey consumption), and found 375 identifiable prey remains from 20 species. Wild prey constituted 96.8% of identified kills, with gemsbok (Oryx gazelle), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), and greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) representing 77.3% of all identified prey. Livestock (cattle, Bos spp., and horses, Equus ferus) composed only 3.2% of the kills, with male leopards feeding on livestock three times more frequently than females. While approximately one-third of leopards consumed livestock at least once, no individual exhibited specialization for livestock, although individuals did exhibit specialization for some wild prey. Predation occurred primarily during crepuscular periods, but diel patterns in predation differed between the sexes. These findings challenge assumptions that livestock depredation is driven by habitual livestock-killing leopards and suggest that it may be mostly opportunistic. Our results underscore the value of maintaining wild prey populations and adopting non-lethal management practices to mitigate conflict and promote human-carnivore coexistence across unprotected areas.
Keywords: leopard, foraging ecology, human-wildlife conflict, livestock, unprotected areas, predation, specialization, Namibia
Published in DiRROS: 10.07.2026; Views: 215; Downloads: 140
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2. Hunter-engaged monitoring of the Eurasian lynx during the reinforcement processUrša Fležar, Miha Krofel, Matej Bartol, Rok Černe, Lan Hočevar, Aleksander Trajbarič, Tilen Hvala, Maruša Prostor, Matija Stergar, Malin Aronsson, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Collaborative wildlife monitoring programs involving citizen scientists are an efficient approach for surveying large areas. In Europe, hunters play an important role in wildlife monitoring and act as crucial stakeholders in large carnivore conservation. The Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx, an elusive felid, is a species of conservation concern in Europe. In Slovenia, lynx was exterminated and later reintroduced in 1973, but the population has declined during the past decades. A reinforcement program was initiated in 2017, translocating lynx from the Carpathian population to improve the status of the critically endangered Dinaric population. The reinforcement was coupled with an intensive monitoring program, involving local hunters as key participants. In this study, we show how the collaboration between wildlife managers, researchers and hunters resulted in a robust assessment of the lynx population at a national level for a period of five years. Questionnaires distributed to hunting clubs and chance observations were used to define the expected lynx distribution, and guide the extent of systematic camera trapping surveys, involving between 63 and 101 hunters each year. In southern Slovenia, the core of the lynx population, lynx density doubled during the reinforcement period (from 0.66 to 1.30 lynx/100 km2). In north-western Slovenia where a stepping-stone population in the Alps was established in 2021, the number of lynx increased to seven. Furthermore, all three translocated females reproduced, which represents the first confirmed lynx reproduction in the Slovenian Alps in over 150 years. We discuss the motivation behind the hunters' contribution to the data collection process and the implications of this collaboration. We highlight the importance of maintaining the collaboration and their support for lynx conservation. This study serves as an example for large-scale collaborative monitoring of a recovering population undergoing intensive conservation measures with promising results, involving crucial stakeholders as citizen scientists.
Keywords: camera trapping, citizen science, density, reinforcement, spatial capture recapture
Published in DiRROS: 26.01.2026; Views: 578; Downloads: 419
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3. Size, age, telomere and ecophysiology data of Gallotia galloti lizard species sampled in Tenerife : version v1Nina Guerra Serén, Rodrigo Megía-Palma, Tatjana Simčič, Miha Krofel, Fabio Maria Guarino, Catarina Pinho, Anamarija Žagar, Miguel A. Carretero, 2023, complete scientific database of research data Abstract: The dataset is used in the manuscript "Nina Serén, Rodrigo Megía-Palma, Tatjana Simčič, Miha Krofel, Fabio Maria Guarino, Catarina Pinho, Anamarija Žagar, Miguel A. Carretero. Functional responses in a lizard along a 3.5 km altitudinal gradient. Journal of Biogeography (under review)." The dataset consists of measurements of individual lizards of the species Gallotia galloti, each tagged with a unique CODE. Data include year of sampling, population name, exact elevation (in meters above sea level) and approximate elevation (rounded to the nearest hundred, in meters), and sex. Measurements were as follows: Snout Vent Length (in millimeters), Mass (in grams), AGE_Consensus (in years), Relative Telomere Length, PMA(29ºC, 33 ºC and 37ºC) (Potential metabolic activity measured at experimental conditions of 29˚C, 33ºC and 37ºC, respectively,in µLO2/mg prot/h), Catalase (in relative units U/mg protein), EWLa (accumulated evaporative water loss (in grams) and Temperature_8AM-5PM (measurements of cloacal temperature at hourly intervals starting at 8AM and ending at 5PM).
Keywords: lizards, ecophysiology, oxydative stress, telomeres, climate change, data
Published in DiRROS: 27.10.2025; Views: 852; Downloads: 683
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4. Effects of biotic and abiotic stressors on asymmetries and head size in two sympatric lizard speciesAjša Alagić, Miha Krofel, Marko Lazić, Anamarija Žagar, 2020, complete scientific database of research data Abstract: Organisms face numerous environmental stressors, which can affect developmental precision. Developmental instability can be used as an efficient and reliable bioindicator of environmental stressors and individual health. However, little information is available about effects of interspecific interactions on occurrence of developmental instability. We analyzed fluctuating asymmetry in two sympatric lizard species (Iberolacerta horvathi and Podarcis muralis), which exhibit a competitive interaction, to determine potential effects of altitude, interspecific competition and urbanization on a set of physical characteristics. We sampled 16 syntopic and allotopic populations and used methods of geometric morphometrics to analyze head morphology. We detected significant effect of altitude, but the trend was not linear: lizards had most asymmetrical heads at mid altitudes, which could be related to lower availability of favorable lizard habitats (open areas) at this altitude and therefore higher competition. We observed that lizards from allotopic populations attained larger head sizes compared to lizards in syntopy that experienced interspecific competition. This could suggest that in sites where competing species is absent, individuals can invest more energy in the development of the body. Moreover, head shape of Iberolacerta horvathi was more asymmetric compared to Podarcis muralis, which could indicate difference between species in the vulnerability to stress effects. We did not detect any statistically significant effect of urbanization, which could relate to relatively low degree of pollution and habitat degradation in our study area. Our results highlight the possibility of using lizards and developmental instability for bioindication of environmental stressors.
Keywords: lizards, morphology, ecology, asymmetries, data
Published in DiRROS: 27.10.2025; Views: 549; Downloads: 453
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5. Survival of Eurasian lynx in the human-dominated landscape of EuropeJoseph Premier, M. L. Bastianelli, Julian Oeser, Ole Anders, Henrik Andrén, Malin Aronsson, Guna Bagrade, Elisa Belotti, Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten, Luděk Bufka, Rok Černe, Lan Hočevar, Miha Krofel, Nives Pagon, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Survival and cause-specific mortality rates are vital for evidence-based population forecasting and conservation, particularly for large carnivores, whose populations are often vulnerable to human-caused mortalities. It is therefore important to know the relationship between anthropogenic and natural mortality causes to evaluate whether they are additive or compensatory. Further, the relation between survival and environmental covariates could reveal whether specific landscape characteristics influence demographic performance. We used telemetry data on 681 Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), a model apex predator with large spatial requirements, that were tracked across their European distribution. Through time-to-event analyses, we sought to determine the variables associated with differences in their survival. Illegal killing was the main cause of mortality (33.8%), and mortality rates were similar in protected and hunted populations (8.6% and 7.0% per year, respectively). Survival varied greatly across populations (70–95% per year). Across all study sites, higher hunting and anthropogenic mortality rates were partially compensated by lower rates of other mortality causes but not by natural mortality alone. Variation in survival depended on sex (female survival was 1.5 times greater than male survival) and seasonality (highest risk during hunting season and winter), and lower survival rates were correlated with higher human modification of landscapes at both coarse (home range composition) and fine (habitat use within home range) scales. Some variation in survival was driven by unobserved factors, which, given the high rates of human-caused mortalities, including illegal killing, are of foremost concern. Due to the low natural mortality rates in protected and hunted populations, we conclude that anthropogenic causes of mortality are likely close to additive, such that maintaining or increasing refuge habitat with little human disturbance is critical to lynx conservation.
Keywords: cause-specific mortality, compensatory mortality, Eurasian lynx, large carnivore, Lynx lynx, survival
Published in DiRROS: 23.04.2025; Views: 2038; Downloads: 750
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6. Kmetijstvo in biodiverziteta na skupni potiDanilo Bevk, Blaž Koderman, Mojca Pibernik, Mateja Colarič, 2019, other monographs and other completed works Abstract: Biodiverziteta (biotska pestrost) je pestrost življenja na Zemlji od bakterij in gliv do rastlin in živali. Nastala je v milijardah let razvoja življenja. Pomembna značilnost biodiverzitete je izjemna povezanost organizmov, ki sami ne bi mogli preživeti, skupaj pa sestavljajo edinstven preplet, ki odločilno vpliva na razmere na našem planetu.
Keywords: biodiverziteta, kmetijstvo, ekosistemske storitve, Slovenija
Published in DiRROS: 04.09.2024; Views: 1488; Downloads: 1513
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7. Čudovita pestrost živegaMojca Pibernik, Blaž Koderman, Danilo Bevk, 2020, other monographs and other completed works Abstract: Biotska pestrost (tudi biotska raznolikost, biotska raznovrstnost, biodiverziteta) je raznolikost živih bitij. Vključuje vse rastline, živali in druge organizme. Vsi organizmi so med seboj tesno povezani in se med seboj dopolnjujejo, sami pa ne bi mogli preživeti. Tudi ljudje smo kot del narave močno odvisni od biotske pestrosti, zato je pomembno, da se njenega pomena zavedo že otroci.
Keywords: biodiverziteta, otroci, pestrost živega, LIFE Naturaviva
Published in DiRROS: 04.09.2024; Views: 1530; Downloads: 999
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8. Functional responses in a lizard along a 3.5-km altitudinal gradientNina Guerra Serén, Rodrigo Megía-Palma, Tatjana Simčič, Miha Krofel, Fabio Maria Guarino, Catarina Pinho, Anamarija Žagar, Miguel A. Carretero, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Aim: Physiological and metabolic performance are key mediators of the functional response of species to environmental change. Few environments offer such a multifaceted array of stressors as high-altitude habitats, which differ markedly in temperature, water availability, UV radiation and oxygen pressure compared to low-altitude habitats. Species that inhabit large altitudinal gradients are thus excellent models to study how organisms respond to environmental variation. Location: Tenerife island, Canary Islands archipelago (Spain). Taxon: Tenerife lizard (Gallotia galloti, Lacertidae). Methods: We integrated data on age structure, thermal and hydric regulatory behaviour and four metabolic and stress-related biomarkers for an insular lizard that inhabits an extreme altitudinal range (sea level to 3700 m a.s.l.), to understand how an ectotherms' age, ecophysiology and metabolism can be affected by extreme environmental variation. Results: We found marked differences in metabolic stress markers associated with altitude (particularly in the abundance of carbonyl metabolites and relative telomere length), but without a linear pattern along the altitudinal cline. Contrary to expectations, longer telomeres and lower carbonyl content were detected at the highest altitude, suggesting reduced stress in these populations. Evaporative water loss differed between populations but did not follow a linear altitudinal gradient. Lizard age structure or thermal physiological performance did not markedly change across different altitudes. Mixed signals in life-history and thermal ecology across populations and altitude suggest complex responses to variable conditions across altitude in this species. Main Conclusions: Our integrative study of multiple functional traits demonstrated that adaptation to highly divergent environmental conditions in this lizard is potentially linked to an interplay between plasticity and local adaptation variably associated with different functional traits.
Keywords: ecophysiology, evaporative water loss, metabolic activity, oxidative stress, preferred temperatures, relative telomere length, skeletochronology, lizard
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 1758; Downloads: 2092
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9. O domorodnosti alpskega kozoroga v SlovenijiAndreja Nève Repe, Elena Bužan, Borut Toškan, Jernej Javornik, Boštjan Pokorny, Andrej Arih, Lars Zver, Maruša Prostor, Miha Krofel, Matija Stergar, Klemen Jerina, Hubert Potočnik, Rok Černe, Aleš Poljanec, 2023, professional article Abstract: Alpski kozorog (Capra ibex) je alpski endemit. Na območju Slovenije naj bi bila vrsta iztrebljena v drugi polovici 17. stoletja, globalno pa je bila zaradi prelova na robu izumrtja konec 19. stoletja. Preživela je le populacija na širšem območju parka Gran Paradiso na skrajnem zahodu Alp v Italiji. Zaradi naselitev in drugih varstvenih programov sedaj alpski kozorog živi v celotnih Alpah, vključno s Slovenijo. Vendar pri nas njegove populacije nazadujejo in so v zelo slabem stanju, kar je lahko rezultat več dejavnikov. Malo izvornih osebkov ob naselitvah, zgodovinska ozka grla in ločenost kolonij so povzročili parjenje v sorodstvu, kar je slabšalo genetsko stanje populacij in lahko negativno vpliva tudi na demografijo. K številčnemu zmanjševanju vrste so lahko prispevale tudi bolezni. Za dolgoročno ohranitev alpskega kozoroga v Sloveniji so nujni takojšnji aktivni ohranitveni ukrepi, pogoj pa je ustrezna opredelitev izvornosti vrste, saj je (bila) zaradi prejšnjih pomanjkljivih podatkov umeščena med tujerodne. V prispevku na podlagi arheo-zooloških, genetskih in preliminarnih habitatnih analiz utemeljujemo, da je v Sloveniji kozorog domorodna vrsta. V raziskavah smo pokazali, da je vrsta živela na ozemlju zdajšnje Slovenije v poznoantičnem in zgodnje srednjeveškem obdobju. Preliminarno smo določili tudi primernost in povezanost habitata kozoroga v slovenskem alpskem svetu ter nakazali verjetne potrebne ukrepe za ohranitev vrste v Sloveniji.
Keywords: Capra ibex, izvornost vrste, programi varstva, Alpe, habitat, genetika
Published in DiRROS: 09.01.2024; Views: 2216; Downloads: 665
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10. Raba krmišč pri navadnem muflonu (Ovis orientalis musimon) na GorenjskemŽiga Marenk, Miha Krofel, 2019, original scientific article Abstract: Navadni muflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) je danes v Sloveniji najštevilčnejša, vendar zelo slabo raziskana tujerodna vrsta parkljarjev. Tudi drugod po Evropi so raziskave te vrste redke, še zlasti glede rabe krmišč, čeprav je dopolnilno krmljenje pogosta praksa v mnogih državah. V pričujoči raziskavi smo s pomočjo avtomatskih kamer ugotavljali sestavo tropov muflonov, ki so obiskovali pet zimskih krmišč na Gorenjskem. Spremljali smo tudi cirkadiano dinamiko obiskov krmišč ter pojavljanje drugih vrst divjadi pri krmiščih. Povprečna velikost tropov muflonov je znašala 3,5 živali; najpogosteje so krmišča obiskovale samice z mladiči. Zabeležili smo dva viška obiskov krmišč, in sicer okoli sončnega vzhoda in zahoda. Krmišča za muflone je obiskovalo še šest drugih vrst divjadi, med katerimi je bil najdominantnejši navadni jelen (Cervus elaphus). Spremljanje krmišč z uporabo avtomatskih kamer se je izkazalo za učinkovit način spremljanja populacije muflonov in njihove rabe krmišč.
Keywords: muflon, Ovis orientalis musimon, krmljenje, krmišča, socialni sistem, struktura tropov, cirkadiana aktivnost, medvrstne interakcije, foto-pasti, Slovenija
Published in DiRROS: 08.07.2019; Views: 9512; Downloads: 3888
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