{"title":"The Wolf (Canis lupus L.): Territory or Habitat","authors":"V. V. Kochetkov","doi":"10.1134/s2079086423090074","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>The organization of the living space of animal populations is diverse, but in a generalized version it is characterized by two concepts—“territory” and “habitat.” The first involves the protection of territory by single individuals, married couples, families, and packs using acoustic signals and olfactory marks to mark boundaries. The second does not provide for such strict habitat protection. It is generally accepted that wolf families are characterized by a territory lifestyle. However, long-term studies (1975–2022) in the Central Forest Nature Reserve (CFNR) of the ecology and behavior of wolf families do not confirm this idea. Doubts about “territoriality” are justified by the following arguments. The size and boundaries of wolf families were not constant in both long-term and seasonal aspects and did not depend on family size. This is also typical for other populations, as is confirmed by references to published works. An algorithm for forming the territory of wolf families is shown. In the spring–summer period, their size was about 65 km<sup>2</sup>, by the end of summer the area increased to 120–150 km<sup>2</sup>, reaching a maximum in winter, developing new habitats. In the summer–autumn period, the size of the territory averaged 34% of the maximum. The size of the brood did not affect the size of the territory, since it was formed by the parents of the families, that is, a pair of individuals. Wolf population growth in 1971–1981 caused an increase in the number of families in the population (Tver oblast): couples from 6 to 32 and families from 10 to 157, with the population group (CFNR) increasing from 3 to 7, but with a reduction in the size of their territories. At a stationary population with a good food supply, the size of the family territory in the CFNR was 1100–1200 km<sup>2</sup>; in the growth phase under optimal conditions, from 135 to 650 km<sup>2</sup>; and, in the stationary phase with a poor food supply, up to 2500 km<sup>2</sup>. However the main argument is that the population cycle (stationary number → growth → peak number → decline → low (static) number) is possible for wolf populations only when the living space of families is organized according to the “habitat” type, when the spatial structure of the population is compacted due to the emergence of new families, ensuring not only population growth, but also replenishment of the gene pool. Marking (urinary) marks perform the function of a signaling biological field: at the borders of families, individuals warn other wolves about their presence, and inside the territory the marks help in searching for prey and significant points in space. Conflict situations between families were not recorded during the entire observation period, which is typical for the organization of living space according to the “habitat” type.</p>","PeriodicalId":9047,"journal":{"name":"Biology Bulletin Reviews","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biology Bulletin Reviews","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s2079086423090074","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The organization of the living space of animal populations is diverse, but in a generalized version it is characterized by two concepts—“territory” and “habitat.” The first involves the protection of territory by single individuals, married couples, families, and packs using acoustic signals and olfactory marks to mark boundaries. The second does not provide for such strict habitat protection. It is generally accepted that wolf families are characterized by a territory lifestyle. However, long-term studies (1975–2022) in the Central Forest Nature Reserve (CFNR) of the ecology and behavior of wolf families do not confirm this idea. Doubts about “territoriality” are justified by the following arguments. The size and boundaries of wolf families were not constant in both long-term and seasonal aspects and did not depend on family size. This is also typical for other populations, as is confirmed by references to published works. An algorithm for forming the territory of wolf families is shown. In the spring–summer period, their size was about 65 km2, by the end of summer the area increased to 120–150 km2, reaching a maximum in winter, developing new habitats. In the summer–autumn period, the size of the territory averaged 34% of the maximum. The size of the brood did not affect the size of the territory, since it was formed by the parents of the families, that is, a pair of individuals. Wolf population growth in 1971–1981 caused an increase in the number of families in the population (Tver oblast): couples from 6 to 32 and families from 10 to 157, with the population group (CFNR) increasing from 3 to 7, but with a reduction in the size of their territories. At a stationary population with a good food supply, the size of the family territory in the CFNR was 1100–1200 km2; in the growth phase under optimal conditions, from 135 to 650 km2; and, in the stationary phase with a poor food supply, up to 2500 km2. However the main argument is that the population cycle (stationary number → growth → peak number → decline → low (static) number) is possible for wolf populations only when the living space of families is organized according to the “habitat” type, when the spatial structure of the population is compacted due to the emergence of new families, ensuring not only population growth, but also replenishment of the gene pool. Marking (urinary) marks perform the function of a signaling biological field: at the borders of families, individuals warn other wolves about their presence, and inside the territory the marks help in searching for prey and significant points in space. Conflict situations between families were not recorded during the entire observation period, which is typical for the organization of living space according to the “habitat” type.
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