The hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is an arboreal species with suspected limited capabilities Of moving over open ground. To date, however, only one study has investigated gap crossing capabilities in an experimental manner. We here report the results of an empirical assessment of hazel dormice gap crossing capabilities by means of a translocation study. We translocated 12 dormice, 10 in completely isolated patches and 2 in a hedgerow. Our results show how, at least under conditions of an experimental homing, hazel dormice may abandon forest areas and cross open fields (with grass or mowed) travelling up to 106 m. In most cases the gap crossing was relatively quick (concluded within one night) but in one case it lasted several days. The results of our experiment suggest that a stepping stone approach to connectivity may be a possible management strategy where it is not possible to implement a continuous network of hedgerows. (C) 2012 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Saugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Long distance field crossings by hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in fragmented landscapes / Mortelliti, Alessio; Santarelli, Luca; Sozio, Giulia; Fagiani, Stefano; Boitani, Luigi. - In: MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY. - ISSN 1616-5047. - STAMPA. - 78:4(2013), pp. 309-312. [10.1016/j.mambio.2012.09.006]

Long distance field crossings by hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in fragmented landscapes

MORTELLITI, Alessio;SOZIO, Giulia;BOITANI, Luigi
2013

Abstract

The hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is an arboreal species with suspected limited capabilities Of moving over open ground. To date, however, only one study has investigated gap crossing capabilities in an experimental manner. We here report the results of an empirical assessment of hazel dormice gap crossing capabilities by means of a translocation study. We translocated 12 dormice, 10 in completely isolated patches and 2 in a hedgerow. Our results show how, at least under conditions of an experimental homing, hazel dormice may abandon forest areas and cross open fields (with grass or mowed) travelling up to 106 m. In most cases the gap crossing was relatively quick (concluded within one night) but in one case it lasted several days. The results of our experiment suggest that a stepping stone approach to connectivity may be a possible management strategy where it is not possible to implement a continuous network of hedgerows. (C) 2012 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Saugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
2013
small mammals, habitat loss and fragmentation, translocation experiment, homing, dispersal
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Long distance field crossings by hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in fragmented landscapes / Mortelliti, Alessio; Santarelli, Luca; Sozio, Giulia; Fagiani, Stefano; Boitani, Luigi. - In: MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY. - ISSN 1616-5047. - STAMPA. - 78:4(2013), pp. 309-312. [10.1016/j.mambio.2012.09.006]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/511740
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