The editor’s choice is the article by Rhim et al. “Adaptive response of Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) to climate and altitude in the temperate forests of South Korea”.
What do you know about the Siberian roe deer? If anything, then perhaps the larger antler size of Capreolus pygargus compared to its western cousin, the European roe deer, Capreolus capreolus. Although the distribution of the Siberian roe deer extends from the Caucasus in the west to the Sea of Japan in the east, and is thus wider than that of the European roe deer, it is poorly covered in the international literature.
A quick topic search in Web of Science found 102 papers on Siberian roe deer, but 2131 papers on European roe deer. Google Scholar lists 2720 and 22 900 entries, respectively, since 2000.
In their paper, Shin-Jae Rhim and co-authors present the Siberian roe deer in South Korea as a valuable model for understanding how an ungulate in a mountainous environment may respond to climate change. In particular, they show how deer adapt their spatial and temporal behaviour to avoid heat stress. I welcome more contributions on this species and the many others that share its habitat.
Sincerely, Ilse Storch
Editor-in-Chief
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