EFFECTS OF AGE AND SEX ON SPACE OCCUPATION BY EUROPEAN ROE DEER

The effects of age and sex on annual home-range characteristics of Eur opean roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were investigated by means of rad iotracking individuals from a high-density population within a deciduo us forest. Subadult males often used more diffuse home ranges than did adults and subadult females, whereas old males exhibited the most con centrated pattern of space occupation. Subadult males also showed a hi gher dispersal than did subadult females. Such results contrast with t hose obtained at low densities and suggest that population density inf luences the process of range acquisition in a sex-dependent way, proba bly because of the retention of territoriality by adult males at high densities.