Domestic cats are the most numerous predators in Poland. They are commonly kept at farms but hardly controlled, so penetrate freely wide range of habitats. The work aimed at determining the range of greatest impact of cats by identifying patterns of their activity and area searching, over daily, monthly and annual cycles. The density index, estimated from transect counts, performed along standard routes, proved to be dependent on temperature, precipitation and time of the day. In spring and summer, cats presented a two-peaked activity pattern, while in cold seasons it was more stable throughout the day. In warm months cats were registered at a further distance from the buildings than in colder ones. The animals were much less active when rain was falling. Cats’ responses on noticing an observer showed that the further they were from the edges of settlements the more timid and cautious they became. The results showed that the potential pressure that cats may exert on their prey is the biggest around dawn and dusk and in summer. During a daytime it is confined to the immediate vicinity of build-up areas.
Viticulture is one of the most intensively managed agricultural ecosystems in Europe. Therefore, the conservation problems of vineyards and the ecological benefits of increasing the amount of fallow land are addressed using butterflies as a model group. We established 43 transects, each 100 m long, in a vineyard region in the vicinity of Trier (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) and recorded the butterflies observed along these transects on 20 occasions from late May to early August 2003. Transects crossed vineyards, fallow land and transitional areas of land. 4041 individuals of 34 species showed the typical pattern of relative abundance with few common and many relatively rare species. Fallow land had more individuals and species and a higher Shannon species diversity index than vineyards. Community evenness and average butterfly dispersal ability were highest in the vineyards. Principal Factor Analyses and UPGMA cluster analysis distinguished between fallow land and vineyards. The difference between early meadow and late forest fallow land areas was not strong, but the former tended to have a higher diversity than the latter. Vineyards thus might act as a sink for butterflies. Therefore, a clear separation between vineyards and fallow land is best for nature conservation. As young fallow land tends to have a higher diversity than older fallow land in this study, it is likely that the conservation value of vineyards for butterflies could be increased by active management of fallow land areas.