DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ngf1vhhvn
title: Data from: Zoning has little impact on the seasonal diel activity and distribution patterns of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

description: Understanding the spatio‐temporal distribution of ungulates is important
 for effective wildlife management, particularly for economically and
 ecologically important species such as wild boar (Sus scrofa). Wild boars
 are generally considered to exhibit substantial behavioral flexibility,
 but it is unclear how their behavior varies across different conservation
 management regimes and levels of human pressure. To analyze if and how
 wild boars adjust their space use or their temporal niche, we surveyed
 wild boars across the core and buffer zones (collectively referred to as
 the conservation zone) and the transition zone of a biosphere reserve.
 These zones represent low and high levels of human pressure, respectively.
 Specifically, we employed a network of 53 camera traps distributed in the
 Schaalsee UNESCO Biosphere Reserve over a 14‐month period (19,062 trap
 nights) and estimated circadian activity patterns, diel activity levels,
 and occupancy of wild boars in both zones. To account for differences in
 environmental conditions and day length, we estimated these parameters
 separately for seven 2‐month periods. Our results showed that the wild
 boars were primarily nocturnal, with diurnal activity occurring dominantly
 during the summer months. The diel activity patterns in the two zones were
 very similar overall, although the wild boars were slightly less active in
 the transition zone than in the conservation zone. Diel activity levels
 also varied seasonally, ranging from 7.5 to 11.0 h day−1, and
 scaled positively with the length of the night
 (R2 = 0.66–0.67). Seasonal occupancy estimates were
 exceptionally high (point estimates ranged from 0.65 to 0.99) and similar
 across zones, suggesting that the wild boars used most of the biosphere
 reserve. Overall, this result suggests that different conservation
 management regimes (in this case, the zoning of a biosphere reserve) have
 little impact on wild boar behavior. This finding is relevant for wildlife
 management in protected areas where possibly high wild boar densities
 could interfere with conservation goals within these areas and those of
 agricultural land use in their vicinity.
description: The data are based on a 4x4 km camera trap network, established
 in the Schalsee Biosphere Reserve, Germany. Data were sampled from June
 2018 to August 2019. Camera traps (Bushnell TrophyCam and TrophyCam HD)
 were attached either to a tree (if available) or to a wooden pole
 (positioned with a metal ground sleeve) at a height of between 0.5 and
 0.9 m. The data represent independent detections of wild boar (detections
 separated by at least 30min); individuals columns denote Camera id (cam),
 date (day.month.year), time of day, number of individuals detected in each
 frame (num_ind), season (for bimonthly periods, see main paper),
 management zone of the biosphere reserve (zone), and time of day
 (daytime). For more details, please refer to the material and methods
 section of the main article.