Nest site preference of common dormouse (<i>Muscardinus avellanarius</i>) in two different habitat types of Central Italy

Panchetti, Fabiana; Sorace, Alberto; Amori, Giovanni; Carpaneto, Giuseppe M.

doi:10.1080/11250000701588224

Cited by 16 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…A dense understory protects animals from both areal and treeclimbing predators. All potential predators, including the pine marten Martes martes, would be more easily detected by dormice because of their movements through thick vegetation (Panchetti et al 2007). For example, in tangles of the bramble Rubus fruticosus, the long twines of Figure 2 Comparison of some vegetation parameters in different nest site categories of Muscardinus avellanarius.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This method was adopted by other authors for studies of nest site selection and microhabitat use in different dormouse species (Bertolino 2007;Bertolino and Cordero di Montezemolo 2007;Panchetti et al 2007). Four rectangular transects (each 10 × 25 m) starting at the nestbox tree and representing nest site surroundings were selected.…”

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results of previous studies on site selection of nest sites and resting places by dormice and other small mammals indicated that it may be related to safety from predators (Bertolino 2007;Panchetti et al 2007;Rosalino et al 2011), the availability of continuous suitable food supplies (Sherman 1984;Kopij 2009), or a possible combination of both factors (Bertolino et al 2011;Cudworth and Koprowski 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…General habitat preferences of M. avellanarius were studied in several countries, e.g., in Great Britain, Italy, Lithuania, and Germany Capizzi et al 2002;Juškaitis 2007b;Wuttke et al 2012). Nest site selection by this species was studied in two different landscapes in southern Sweden (Berg and Berg 1998), in two habitat types in central Italy (Panchetti et al 2007), and in a specific hedgerow habitat by (Wolton 2009). This was also done in mature 75-to 180-year-old mixed forest stands in Lithuania, which are typical habitats for the fat dormouse Glis glis, but not for M. avellanarius (Juškaitis and Šiožinytė 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…avellanarius willingly occupies both ordinary bird nestboxes (Juškaitis 2008) and special dormouse nestboxes ). The use of nestboxes, which represent artificial substitutes for tree hollows, is a common technique used in studies of this elusive species (e.g., Bright and Morris 1990;Panchetti et al 2007;Juškaitis and Šiožinytė 2008). A great number of evenly spaced nestboxes over a large area provide dormice the possibility to use them for resting and breeding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nest site selection by the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius: is safety more important than food?

2013

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Background: Vegetation parameters determining nest site selection by the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius were studied in a typical habitat where dormice are relatively common in Lithuania, the northern periphery of its distributional range. Results: Dormice preferred nest sites with a better-developed understory, particularly with a good cover of hazel shrubs taller than 4 m and plentiful bird cherry trees, a high diversity of woody plant species in the understory and overstory, and better connectivity of the nest tree with its surroundings. They avoided sites with a high number of mature Norway spruce trees in the canopy and a high density of young trees. In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, three vegetation parameters of the number of shrub species, the cover of hazel shrubs, and the number of Norway spruce trees in the canopy determined over 85% of the index of nestbox use by M. avellanarius. The number of shrub species in the surroundings of the nest site had the highest impact of all. Nest sites used by dormice for breeding were distinguished by a better-developed understory, particularly by a significantly higher number of bird cherry trees and a lower number of Norway spruce trees in the canopy, as well as a higher diversity of plants in the understory and overstory. Conclusions: Selection of nest sites by M. avellanarius is a combination of safety from predators and the presence of food. A well-developed inter-connected understory ensures the safety of nest sites from predators, and the diversity of understory and overstory species guarantees continuity of the food supply in the vicinity of nest sites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nest site selection by the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius: is safety more important than food?

2013

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Machine learning identification of microhabitat features associated with occupancy of artificial nestboxes by hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius in a UK woodland site

Malyan,

Lloyd,

González‐Suárez

2024

Wildlife Biology

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Hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius have severely declined since 2000 leading to increased legislative protection in the UK and Europe. Artificial nestboxes are widely used for its conservation and monitoring. Previous research has focused on how to identify suitable areas for nestboxes, but where to place individual boxes to promote occupancy is less well understood. Here, we demonstrate the use of machine learning Random Forest regression to predict nestbox occupancy from a wide range of microhabitat variables using a UK woodland as a case study. Random forest models are powerful predictive tools that allow simultaneous testing of many predictors with relatively few observations.Field data included observed nestbox occupancy (2017–2021) and measurements of 76 microhabitat variables collected in the summer of 2021 from 45 occupied and unused nestboxes located in a deciduous woodland in Berkshire, UK. We applied Random Forest regression to identify important variables and predict nestbox occupancy demonstrating robust approaches to tune model hyperparameters and evaluate importance metrics.In our study area, nestboxes were more likely to be occupied in sites with more hazel Corylus avellana, greater overall tree abundance but not fully closed canopies (optimal 80–85%), more honeysuckle Lolium periclymenum and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, and when located further from footpaths and woodland margins. Occupancy over the study period was well predicted using microhabitat variables (13.3% OOB error) but future occupancy was more uncertain (33.3% error for 2021–2023 records).Modelling approaches that allow consideration of numerous variables from few locations or observations can be help identify relevant features and predict desirable outcomes of conservation actions. Here we demonstrate this approach identifying microhabitat variables that influence artificial nestbox occupancy by hazel dormice in a UK woodland. Findings offer some recommendations for local management that could promote nestbox occupancy and improve monitoring and conservation efforts.

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Overview of the impact of forest habitats quality and landscape disturbances on the ecology and conservation of dormice species

2021

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Arboreal mammals are a group of special concern. We reviewed the available literature to summarize the overall potential effects of forest habitat disturbances on dormice ecology and population parameters. We took into consideration the influence of forest structure, area size and fragmentation, vegetation biodiversity, forestry treatments, and the development of road networks. The vast majority of studies have only examined two species, hazel and edible dormouse, while the ecological requirements and conservation priorities of forest, garden, and Japanese dormice have rarely been studied. There has been a substantial increase in the number of dormice studies; however, many aspects of their ecology are still unknown. The current state of knowledge points to the essential role of the complex vertical structure of forest vegetation in providing arboreal movement corridors and safe nesting places for dormice species. Moreover, dormice species are cavity dwellers that depend on the presence of old trees and nest boxes, which could have ambiguous effects.

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Nest site preference of common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in two different habitat types of Central Italy

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

Nest site selection by the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius: is safety more important than food?

Nest site selection by the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius: is safety more important than food?

Machine learning identification of microhabitat features associated with occupancy of artificial nestboxes by hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius in a UK woodland site

Overview of the impact of forest habitats quality and landscape disturbances on the ecology and conservation of dormice species

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