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This work was also supported by the Forest Fund, Poland in frame of “Complex project of European bison conservation by State Forests” (contract no. OR.271.3.10.2017).
A typical challenge in studies on habitat selection is the creation of a global model at a population
level. We focus upon an aspect frequently neglected in studies on habitat preferences - individual
variability resulting from the ecological plasticity of a species. We studied European bison
(wisent) Bison bonasus, inhabiting Białowieska Forest (north-eastern Poland), using data from GPS
collars fitted on 11 individuals observed during 12–48 months, and demonstrated that habitat
selection patterns in this population are highly variable. Even seasonal changes in habitat pref-
erence did not mitigate individual variability - during the same months, particular individuals of
the same sex preferred certain habitats which were avoided by others. Therefore, even with fuzzy
analysis, it was not possible to create clear rules for predicting habitat preferences for a given
individual; only general patterns can be specified for seasonal avoidance of some habitats, rather
than their positive selection. Hence, flexibility in habitat selection should be considered in
planning the reintroduction of this species into new sites because it could considerably enhance
the assumed available spectrum of suitable habitats. Moreover, since the natural dispersion of
animals is not limited to forest complexes, new challenges for conservation as well as new limiting
factors resulting from social conflicts could appear which should be taken into account in con-
servation planning, especially in agricultural areas.
