Vol. 62 No. 2 (2007):
Forest Culture and Perspectives

Theory and practice of predation

Paolo Casanova
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali Forestali, Università degli Studi di Firenze.
Anna Memoli
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali Forestali, Università degli Studi di Firenze.

Published 2007-04-09

Keywords

  • prey-predato,
  • wolf,
  • predation,
  • population

Abstract

Predation is one of the fundamental factors that naturally regulate wild animal population density. The preypredator
connection is very complex (trophic nets) and it has been definitely altered by Man, so that it is impossible
to restore, even partially, the initial balances. This situation has favoured the increase of opportunist carnivores but
has disfavoured the more specialized ones, including the wolf. In this contest, a more relevant presence of this
Canidae is very important because it can help a quality selection of big ungulates genetic type.