Dispersal of wood mice and bank voles in an agricultural landscape

Abstract

The aim of the study reported in this paper was to investigate the dispersal of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) between smal woodlands in an agricultural landscape. By using live trapping and captre-mark-recapture methods, 1017 wood mice and bank voles were trapped and 78 movements between haitats were monitored. The results demonstrate the hedgerows are important both for settlement and for corridors for dispersing small mammals. The study also tends to indicate that increasing distance and lack of hedgerows reduces the number of wood mice moving between woodlands, and that the degree of isolation may vary in time depending on the nature of the ground cover provided by the arable crop.