Metadata from: Selection of intra-forest meadows by red deer increases with winter temperature

Data used for the study "Selection of intra-forest meadows by red deer increases with winter temperature", submitted in the journal Oecologia Abstract : Survival and reproduction drive animals to occupy specific habitats within their home range. Red deer show a particular preference for forest gaps, whereas the elevated browsing pressure can limit tree regeneration. Nevertheless, intra-forest meadows can attract red deer within forests by providing accessible grass, particularly as warmer winter temperatures, driven by climate change, result in earlier vegetation onset. Using GPS monitoring of red deer in two populations from France and Belgium, we analyse how their selection of intra-forest meadows varies according to season, seasonal mean temperature and time of day (nighttime and daytime). We show that red deer preferentially select intra-forest meadows at night, irrespective of the season, although the strength of this selection is reduced in winter. However, the strength of nighttime selection of meadows during winter increases with seasonal mean temperature. We hypothesise that this pattern is explained by seasonal variations of vegetation availability (minimal in winter) and the enhancement of vegetation growth due to increasing winter temperatures. These results suggest that meadows act as critical foraging areas for red deer across all seasons in a climate change context with warmer winters. We also hypothesise that intra-forest meadows attract herbivory pressure, thereby reducing this pressure on neighbouring forests, a key issue for forest managers.