Ricerc@Sapienza

Large carnivores are amongst the most susceptible species to human activities, and human-modified environments pose a threat to carnivore conservation. Wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) in the central Apennines, Italy, have coexisted with humans since historic times and represent a good case study to assess their spatiotemporal response to anthropogenic factors. From 2008 to 2010, we investigated the spatial behavior of wolves (seven wolves in five packs and six floaters) in the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park.

Extraterritorial forays in wolves (Canis lupus) have rarely been documented, especially in humanmodified landscapes of southern and central Europe. Integrating information on extraterritorial forays is currently enhanced by Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry and contributes to our knowledge of the spatial dynamics of wolf populations. We hereby report GPS-revealed extraterritorial forays performed by 4 wolves in 3 packs in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (central Apennines, Italy,

Anthropogenic and biotic disturbances have the potential to interact, generating cumulative impacts on animal movement or, alternatively, counterbalancing or masking each other. Despite their importance, those interactions have not been investigated thoroughly. Our study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by assessing the combined effects of a human activity—that is, military exercises—and a biotic disturbance—that is, insect harassment—on movement rates of free-ranging semidomesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus).