H. Okarma

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• Professor
• Professor (Full) at Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences

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 ad...

Predators can affect ecosystems through non‐consumptive effects (NCE) on their prey, which can lead to cascading effects on the vegetation. In mammalian communities, such cascading effects on whole ecosystems have mainly been demonstrated in protected areas, but the extent to which such effects may occur in more human‐dominated landscapes remains d...

2023. Application of the tyraliera counting method to the large-scale inventory of red deer Cervus elaphus in the northern part of Western Pomerania, Poland. Ann. For. Res. 66(2): 33-44. Abstract Game animal damage in the forests and fields of Central Europe, which dramatically increased at the turn of the 21 st century, has undermined the reliabil...

Aim: The increasing availability of animal tracking datasets collected across many sites provides new opportunities to move beyond local assessments to enable detailed and consistent habitat mapping at biogeographical scales. However, integrating wildlife datasets across large areas and study sites is challenging, as species' varying responses to d...

Predators can affect ecosystems through non-consumptive effects on their prey, which can lead to cascading effects on the vegetation. In mammalian communities, such cascading effects on whole ecosystems have mainly been demonstrated in protected areas, but the extent to which such effects may occur in more human-dominated landscapes remains disputa...

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the best known and studied canids worldwide. This species once had a distribution that covered nearly all Eurasia and North America. The wide distribution offered the species great morphological variability. However, studies on the cranial morphometry of wolves in a large geographical range are still limited. W...

Context Adjustments in habitat use by large carnivores can be a key factor facilitating their coexistence with people in shared landscapes. Landscape composition might be a key factor determining how large carnivores can adapt to occurring alongside humans, yet broad-scale analyses investigating adjustments of habitat use across large gradients of...

The dataset presents a chapter of the Digital Catalogue of Biodiversity of Poland, comprising taxa of (infra)specific level, reported from Poland in the present administrative boundaries of the country. In this instance of the Catalogue, the list includes only taxa of confirmed occurrence, ignoring doubtful records that need verification as well as...

Europe is currently facing dynamic land-use changes. The reduction in natural habitats is driving species to colonise urban areas which creates increasing opportunities for human- wildlife conflict (HWC). The first step towards managing and resolving these conflicts and promoting co-existence is by understanding people’s perception and tolerance fo...

The ecology and evolution of reproductive timing and synchrony has been a topic of great interest in evolutionary ecology for decades. Originally motivated by questions related to behavioural and reproductive adaptation to environmental conditions, the topic has acquired new relevance in the face of climate change. However, there has been relativel...

ContextBehavioral adjustments by large carnivores can be a key factor facilitating their coexistence with people in shared landscapes. Landscape composition might be a key factor determining how large carnivores can adapt to occurring alongside humans, yet broad-scale analyses investigating adjustments of habitat use across large gradients of human...

Europe is currently undergoing dynamic land use changes causing the expansion of urban habitat, which is driving wildlife species to colonise conurbations, resulting in an increased likelihood of human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Understanding people's attitudes toward wildlife is essential to manage these conflicts. This study assessed people's attit...

Land disturbances caused by urban development modify and create novel habitats with novel ecological pressures, which in turn may negatively affect remaining wildlife populations, e.g. by altering interspecific interactions. However, it is not clear whether these modified interactions, e.g. parasitism, affect urban wildlife negatively. This is espe...

We studied the relationship between the variability and contemporary distribution of pelage phenotypes in one of most widely distributed felid species and an array of environmental and demographic conditions. We collected 672 photographic georeferenced records of the Eurasian lynx throughout Eurasia. We assigned each lynx coat to one of five phenot...

As the wolf Canis lupus populations continue to recover across Europe, livestock depredation becomes increasingly challenging for their effective conservation. We aim to (1) analyze the spatiotemporal variation in wolf attacks on livestock in relation to the landscape structure, livestock species, and the phase of wolf expansion in Poland and (2) d...

Depletion of free-living populations is often associated with changes in fitness-related traits, e.g., body size. Ongoing decrease in body size has been reported in most vertebrates, but reptiles remain understudied. Moreover, sexual size dimorphism, commonly observed in reptiles, indicates that environmental pressures on body size may appear sex-s...

Habitat selection is a multi-scale process driven by trade-offs between benefits, such as resource abundance, and disadvantages, such as the avoidance of risk. The latter includes human disturbances, to which large carnivores, with their large spatial requirements, are especially sensitive. We investigated the ecological processes underlying multi-...

We investigated winter selection of resting sites by wolves in a commercial pine forest to test if roads, settlements , and type of forest influenced the resting behaviour of wolves during the day and at night. At the landscape scale, wolves selected resting sites that were farther from settlements, public roads and high-traffic forest roads than r...

Depletion of free-living populations is often associated with changes in fitness-related traits, e.g. body size. Ongoing decrease in body size has been reported in most vertebrates, but reptiles remain understudied. Moreover, sexual size dimorphism, commonly observed in reptiles, indicates that environmental pressures on body size may appear sex-sp...

Spatial ecology of red deer Cervus elaphus is shaped by both natural and anthropogenic factors. We used radio telemetry to investigate factors affecting habitat selection on two spatial scales, home range sizes and migratory behaviour of red deer (N = 8 individuals) in two mountain ranges of the western Carpathians in 2004–2007. The two study areas...

The wolf Canis lupus population occupying the lowlands of central Europe is divided into two management units: the Baltic population east of the Vistula river and the Central European population to the west. We re-evaluated arguments for this division in the context of the ongoing wolf recovery and its usefulness for wolf management in Poland. To d...

This study analyzed the enemy release hypothesis (ERH) assumptions under different climatic conditions in a lowland region and a mountain region in Poland. A common garden experiment was performed in 2010 and 2011 using 3 native (Impatiens noli-tangere, Solidago virgaurea, and Polygonum bistorta), 2 noninvasive alien (Impatiens walleriana and Impat...

We investigated by snow tracking and GPS telemetry how wolves Canis lupus used a dense (4 km/km2) network of forest roads for travel and scent marking. Forty-six percent of wolf trails but only 4.6% of telemetry locations were on forest roads. Wolves used forest roads to travel fast and far across their home ranges but spent relatively little time...

Golden jackal (Canis aureus) is expanding north in Europe. So far, its reproduction has rarely been reported in the expansion area. In this paper, we describe the first cases of reproduction of golden jackal from northern Poland, 500 km north from previously reported records. In summer 2015 and 2017, golden jackal juveniles (four and five individua...

Die Monographie stellt den aktuellen Wissensstand zum Wolf in Mitteleuropa und der Wiederbesiedlung der Zivilisationslandschaft durch den Wolf dar. Neben einer ausführlichen Übersicht über Biologie und Ökologie dieser Species wird auch die sozio-kulturelle und sozio-ökonomische Rolle des Wolfes für den Menschen beispielhaft dargestellt. Ausgehend v...

Several animal species have adapted to urban environments, but still little is known about their ecology in these anthropogenically modified habitats. The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of habitat use by wild boars Sus scrofa in the city of Kraków. Our objective was to determine which habitats are most important for wild boars in...

Non-invasive sampling by hair-trapping is increasingly used worldwide in wildlife research. Despite this rise and the potential of hair samples for ecology and conservation studies, the relative performance of hair collection devices has been rarely tested. Here, we compare the effectiveness of five types of hair traps for brown bears Ursus arctos...

Hair-trapping data. (XLSX)

Results of the survey of five types of hair traps (corral, path-trap, smola tree-trap, turpentine tree-trap, natural rub), conducted from March to December 2010 in the Northeastern Carpathians, SE Poland, showing the number of traps, total number of field inspections, number of positive inspections (i.e. with at least one sample collected) and the...

Summary of model selection explaining the variation in the probability of bear hair-trapping (1/0) in relation to the type of trap (Type), bear activity season (Activity), the time elapsed since trap installation (Days), the tree diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree species (Species) for all-traps surveyed in 2010 and rub-trees surveyed in 201...

Selection of kill sites is an important part of predation. In human-modified habitats, anthropogenic landscape features may increase or decrease hunting efficiency of predators. We investigated which habitat attributes increase predation success in wolf Canis lupus hunting for ungulates in an intensively managed forest of western Poland. We used GP...

Krajowa strategia ochrony wilka warunkująca trwałość gatunku w Polsce

Retracing complex population processes that precede extreme bottlenecks may be impossible using data from living individuals. The wisent (Bison bonasus), Europe's largest terrestrial mammal, exemplifies such a population history, having gone extinct in the wild but subsequently restored by captive breeding efforts. Using low coverage genomic data f...

Retracing complex population processes that precede extreme bottlenecks may be impossible using data from living individuals. The wisent (Bison bonasus), Europetextquoterights largest terrestrial mammal, exemplifies such a population history, having gone extinct in the wild but subsequently restored by captive breeding efforts. Using low coverage g...

Although the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is a ubiquitous exotic predator that can detrimentally affect natural environments, studies on their ecological impact are relatively scarce, particularly at a national scale. We exploited data derived from Polish Hunting Association reports to provide a national evaluation of rural free-ranging dogs in...

The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis proposes that the genetic benefits of preferences for elaborated secondary sexual traits have their origins in the arms race between hosts and parasites, which maintains genetic variance in parasite resistance. Infection, in turn, can be reflected in the expression of costly sexual ornaments. However, the link between im...

Due to their high mobility, large terrestrial predators are potentially capable of maintaining high connectivity, and therefore low genetic differentiation among populations. However, previous molecular studies have provided contradictory findings in relation to this. To elucidate patterns of genetic structure in large carnivores, we studied the ge...

Invasions of non-native species are of great concern as they have a devastating impact on native biodiversity and can also affect the economy of a region. Multiple introductions in several locations of a new range greatly promote the success of non-native species. The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an omnivore whose native distribution extends from sou...

Large Carnivore neotaphonomy is used to provide guidelines for understanding fossil bone assemblages. However, few studies have been carried out on the taphonomic signatures of wolves (Canis lupus) in their natural settings. From 2001 to 2007, 56 wolf feeding places were studied in 2 geographic areas of Poland (Bialowieza, Bieszczady). We recorded...

Phylogeographic studies of highly mobile large carnivores suggest that intra-specific genetic differentiation of modern species might be the consequence of the most recent Pleistocene glaciation. However, the relative influence of biogeographical processes and subsequent human-induced population fragmentation requires a better understanding. Poland...

Dispersal and gene flow in populations of highly mobile mammals, such as wolves, are often determined by the landscape structure and ecological connectivity. Previous studies on the genetic struc- ture of Polish wolves revealed three major subpopulations: Carpathian Mountains in southern Poland, Roztocze in the southeast, and the Lowland in northea...

Phylogeographic studies of highly mobile large carnivores suggest that intra-specific genetic differentiation of modern species might be the consequence of the most recent Pleistocene glaciation. However, the relative influ-ence of biogeographical processes and subsequent human-induced population fragmentation requires a better under-standing. Pola...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sex and age of individuals, season, and human pressure (both human presence and habitat structure) on spatiotemporal behavior of wild boar (Sus scrofa). Specifically, we compared wild boar behavior under contrasting conditions of human pressure, within the primeval temperate forest of Białowieża (...

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sex and age of individuals, season, and human pressure (both human presence and habitat structure) on spatiotemporal behavior of wild boar (Sus scrofa). Specifically, we compared wild boar behavior under contrasting conditions of human pressure, within the primeval temperate forest of Białowieża (...

The pine marten Martes martes and the stone marten Martes foina are the only representatives of the genus Martes in Poland. During the last few decades, an intensive synurbisation of stone martens has been recorded. The aim of the study was to assess the level of infection by internal parasites of Martes foina in the Cracow urban area. Eleven necro...

A consequence of introduction of alien species can be hybridization with a closely related native species. Hybridization can have a large effect on the genetic structure and conservation status of native populations. Here, we present a study of hybridization and introgression between native red deer (Cervus elaphus) and introduced sika deer (C. nip...

a b s t r a c t The utility of habitat models for species conservation relies on the integration of ecological knowledge into the modeling process. However, this practice is often limited by incomplete information on the study species requirements and insufficient efforts to adopt robust inference modeling approaches. We devel-oped occurrence and b...

Large terrestrial carnivores are particularly prone to factors constraining levels of population genetic diversity because of their low densities and high spatial requirements. We studied the pattern of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx population genetic variability in the westernmost part of its natural range from Scandinavia to the Carpathian Mountains (n...

With increasing road encroachment, habitat fragmentation by transport infrastructures has been a serious threat for European biodiversity. Areas with no roads or little traffic (“roadless and low-traffic areas”) represent relatively undisturbed natural habitats and functioning ecosystems. They provide many benefits for biodiversity and human societ...

We reviewed 28 studies on brown bear Ursus arctos diet to examine the dietary patterns of the species across its range in relation to geographical and environmental factors. At local scale, we investigated the seasonal variation in bear diet in the eastern Polish Carpathians at individual and population level based on the analysis of ca 1000 scats....

We evaluated helminth parasites of the introduced North American raccoon ( Procyon lotor L.) in Poland. From June 2006 to May 2007, 91 raccoon fecal samples were collected in the Warta Mouth National Park situated in western Poland near the Polish-German border. Coprological analyses involved flotation and sedimentation. In total, 7 helminth taxa w...

Many Pleistocene sites yield fossils of large carnivores (hyaenids, felids, canids, ursids) that might be considered potential contributors to bone accumulations. On going taphonomic studies on the consumption of ungulates by wolves (C. lupus) in Poland and hyaenas (P. brunnea) in South Africa were initiated between 2001 and 2007. We used carcasses...

Material z sesj i naukowej zorganizowanej w ramach XV Spotkan z Naturq i Sztukq UROCZYSKO Papers trom the scientinc session organised within the 15th Meetings with Art and Nature UROCZYSKO UROCZYSKO 2010 Suprasl 22.03.2010 r.

Various species of large predators are reported to influence each other through interference or exploitation competition that may affect demography and survival of the subordinate species. We analyzed spatial relationships between grey wolf (Canis lupus) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF, eastern Poland) to determine...

Preliminary results on the ecology of raccoon in Poland are presented. The use of space (by radiotelemetry), diet composition and parasite infections (both by scat analy-sis) were investigated. The home-range size of the raccoon in western Poland averaged 1 km 2 in suburban areas (n = 5 individuals), 10 km 2 in the Warta Mouth National Park wetland...

Population dynamics and demography of the Wolf Canis lupus were studied in Bialowieza Primeval Forest (BPF, 1250 km ² ), the best preserved mixed and deciduous forest in the lowlands of Europe; 40% of BPF belongs to Poland and 60% to the Belarus Republic. Polish and Belarussian game departments' inventories of Wolf numbers (1946‐93), archival hunti...

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the cont...

Characteristics of the reproductive behaviour of wolves (Canis lupus) were studied by radio-tracking and snow-tracking of four packs in Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF), Poland, in 1995–1999. Signs of mating occurred between 12 January and 22 March. Parturition occurred between 19 April and 12 May, and the denning period lasted for 49–64days. Durin...

Monitoring of lynx Lynx lynx populations in Scandinavia is largely based around unreplicated minimum counts of family groups, i.e. adult females with dependent kittens. When observations cannot be separated from each other on the basis of back-tracking in the snow it is desirable to use a distance rule to separate observations of groups that are so...

Home-range size of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx was studied in two different mountain ranges of the Polish Carpathians during 1999-2004. We live-trapped and radio-collared five adult lynx (two males and three females). One female was probably killed only 10 days after being radio-collared. Home-range size of radio-collared individuals calculated for the...

A wolf population census has been conducted in Polish part of Carpathian Mountains during winter-spring season of 2004/05. A total of 506 faeces have been collected by local foresters, hunters and NGOs. Thanks to modification of DNA isolation procedure it was possible to obtain genotypes for 11 microsatellite loci and sex markers with a multiple-tu...

Population dynamics, demography and home ranges of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx were studied in Bialowiez̊a Primeval Forest (BPF, 1250 km ² ), the best preserved mixed and deciduous forest in the lowlands of Europe; 40% of BPF area belongs to Poland and 60/0 to the Belarus Republic. Results of radiotelemetry of lynx (1991–1994) were combined with th...

A population of grey wolvesCanis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 inhabiting Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF) on the Polish-Belarussian border has recovered after near extermination in the 1970s. Currently, it is intensively hunted in the Belarussian part of BPF and protected in the Polish part. We used a combination of molecular analysis, radiotracking, and f...

We studied the influence of human activity, hunting of prey by wolves, reproduction, and weather conditions on daily patterns and duration of activity of 11 radiotracked wolves (Canis lupus) in the Białowieża Forest (Poland) from 1994 to 1999. On average, wolves were active 45.2% ± 0.9 SE of the time and traveled 0.92 ± 0.05 km/h. The mean length o...

were active 45.2% 6 0.9 SE of the time and traveled 0.92 6 0.05 km/h. The mean length of activity bouts was 0.76 6 0.05 h, whereas inactivity bouts averaged 1.02 6 0.07 h. Wolves were active throughout the day, but their activity peaked at dawn and dusk, which coincided with periods when they killed most prey. Periods of reproduction and high tem-...

The contemporary occurrence of wildcatFelis silvestris (Schreber, 1775) in the Polish part of the Carpathian Mountains was evaluated in 1998–2000 with personal inquiries in all forest inspectorates of Krosno and Kraków Regional Directorates of State Forests and five national parks (NP). Additional information on the presence of wildcat was collecte...

Two cases of Eurasian lynxLynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) caching prey (roe deerCapreolus capreolus) in trees were documented: in southeastern Poland in February 1996 and in southwestern Czech Republic in November 1999. Both carcasses were placed on trees in an identical way. Key words Lynx lynx -prey-arboreal caching-foraging behaviour

The importance of conserving wild populations of large carnivores in balance with local human interests has been recognised throughout the world. However, diverse human activities are in potential conflict with the conservation of large carnivore species. We discuss the role that hunters have in the management of three large carnivore species, the...

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The movement patterns of free-living lynx, Lynx lynx, were studied by radio- telemetry in Bialowieza Primeval Forest, Poland. Eighteen lynx were fitted with radio-collars and their movements were recorded by continuous 24-h sequences and daily relocations. On average, lynx moved 7.2 km per day, and males covered longer distances than females (9.0 a...

Because of the large scales at which large carnivores live, their conservation cannot occur only within protected areas. They must therefore be conserved within multi-use landscapes where conflicts with humans occur. Conflicts are diverse and include depredation on livestock and competition for wild ungulates. However, one of the most serious is th...

The earliest record of the wild cat (Felis silvestris) in Poland is from the Last Interglacial (Eemian). During much of the Holocene the species was apparently widely distributed throughout the territory of Poland. Its occurrence is now limited to the eastem part of the Carpathians. The Polish wild cat population is seriously threatened with extinc...

The earliest records of the lynx (Lynx lynx) from Poland are dated to the mid-Holocene (Neolithic). Until the Middle Ages the species had apparently been distributed widely throughout the territory of Poland. At present its natural range is confined to the north-eastern part of the country (Lynx lynx melinus) and the Carpathians (Lynx lynx lynx). T...

Wolves (Canis lupus) (9 females and 2 males from 4 packs), were radio-tracked in a large Polish woodland in Bialowieza Primeval Forest in 1996–1999. Based on 360 days of radio tracking with locations taken at 30- or 15-min intervals, daily movement distances (DMDs) of wolves and their utilization of territories were analyzed. DMDs averaged 22.1 km...

Wolves (Canis lupus) (9 females and 2 males from 4 packs), were radio-tracked in a large Polish woodland in Bialowieża Primeval Forest in 1996-1999. Based on 360 days of radio tracking with locations taken at 30- or 15-min intervals, daily movement distances (DMDs) of wolves and their utilization of territories were analyzed. DMDs averaged 22.1 km...

Relationships of wolves (Canis lupus) and ungulates were studied in the Polish part of Biaowieza Primeval Forest with high densities of prey. The number of wolves ranged from 7 to 19, and the number of packs ranged from 2 to 4. Average densities were 2.3 wolves/ 100 km 2. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) was the main prey of wolves. Roe deer (Capreolus ca...