POPULATION PARAMETERS OF FALLOW DEER AT DONANA-NATIONAL-PARK (SW SPAIN)

In order to know the reproductive and social status of fallow deer Dama dama (Linnaeus, 1758) populations at Donana National Park and analyze the influence of climatic factors and population density on the reproductive performance of females and males, periodic counts were conducted from September 1982 to September 1988. The size of the study population increased in the period 1982-1983 and remained relatively stable from 1983 to 1988 (mean = 267.79 +/- 11.26). The mean group size of the female groups was the largest (8.67 +/- 1.44); mixed groups showed a mean size of 8.09 (+/- 1.05), the mean group size of the male ones being the smallest (5.21 +/- 0.9). The results indicate that density as well as temperature during the last month of gestation have repercussions on the reproductive performance of the females. No sexual differences have been detected in juvenile mortality during the first year of life.