The pine marten is a shy predator species that is believed to be dependent on old forests and avoiding open areas such as clearcuts and agricultural land.
– The findings of this study indicate that the occurrence of the pine marten was not affected by clearcuts at the landscape level, suggesting that the current extent and intensity of forestry in Norway is not problematic for this species, Angoh writes to inn.no.
In her PhD, she has examined how the pine marten is affected by the environment it inhabits in this country.
What she has discovered is significant.
– It is important for forest managers to understand how landscape and environmental factors affect pine marten populations and predation behaviour in Norwegian landscapes dominated by forestry and agriculture, says Angoh.
In her doctoral research, she also found that pine martens prefer old forest areas and are likely dependent on this type of habitat.
More pine martens were recorded in higher-altitude landscapes with a higher proportion of old forest, deeper snow, and more common occurrences of small rodents. The pine marten was also strongly associated with hilly and uneven terrain with rocks.
– Interestingly, pine marten populations grew faster where there was an abundance of small rodents in higher-altitude areas, where alternative prey may be less available, the doctoral student reports.
Finally, predation by pine martens on capercaillie nests was lower near agricultural areas and clearcuts, but more frequent deeper within forested areas.
– These findings highlight how human-induced landscape changes can affect pine marten populations and can be used to inform about their conservation and management, Angoh believes.
Siow Yan Jennifer Angoh completed her PhD in the doctoral programme Applied Ecology and Biotechnology. The thesis is titled 'Which environmental factors influence pine marten populations and predation patterns in the boreal forest landscape?'
- Her finner du mer informasjon om disputasen til Siow Yan Jennifer Angoh 14. juni 2024.
- Here you can find more information about Siow Yan Jennifer Angoh's defence on 14 June 2024.
Main findings in the doctoral work:
- The current intensity and scale of clearcutting in Norway does not appear to
influence pine marten occurrence at the landscape scale. - The preferred use of old forest indicates that pine martens may be reliant on this
habitat. - Pine marten abundance increased with mature spruce forest but decreased with
increasing agricultural area. - The growth rate of pine marten populations increased with microtine rodent
abundance at higher elevations. - Capercaillie nest predation by pine martens declined with increasing agriculture and
tended to increase further from clearcuts into forest interiors. - Red fox nest predation was unaffected by these landscape factors.
- We found notable differences in nest predation rates between pine martens and
red foxes in relation to multiple landscape factors.
Contact information:
- jennifer.angoh@inn.no
- Phone
- +47 61 28 83 34