Scholarlink

<p>This study monitored a local population of the forest dormouse (<i>Dryomys nitedula</i>), a component of its metapopulation, in Lithuania from 1999 to 2020, marking the north-western edge of its distribution. Regular monitoring of 70 nestboxes spaced in a 50&#xa0;m grid in an area of 13.5&#xa0;ha was carried out during 2001–2020 following a pilot study in 1999–2000. A total of 125 individuals were marked with aluminium rings, with their age and sex recorded. Bayesian modelling of survival probabilities revealed that the population, typically comprising 4–8 adult individuals annually, exhibited sex-specific survival rates that significantly influenced population dynamics. Population size was driven by the numbers of adult females in spring, which depended on their winter survival. The gradual decline and eventual extinction of this population over six years were primarily influenced by the disappearance of local males, coupled with insufficient and delayed male immigration from neighbouring populations. This scarcity of male arrivals may reflect broader challenges within the metapopulation, potentially driven by habitat evolution towards mature forest stages and the impacts of forest management practices. Forest dormice were not recorded in other parts of the same forest despite targeted searches using nestboxes at the study’s end, suggesting significant challenges for recolonization within the metapopulation. The study underscores the critical need for conservation strategies that consider habitat quality, connectivity, and gender-specific survival dynamics to mitigate extinction risk in forest dormouse populations.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Long-term dynamics and extinction of a small local population of the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula)

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月28日

查看全文
  • Rimvydas Juškaitis,
  • Fraser J. Combe

摘要

This study monitored a local population of the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula), a component of its metapopulation, in Lithuania from 1999 to 2020, marking the north-western edge of its distribution. Regular monitoring of 70 nestboxes spaced in a 50 m grid in an area of 13.5 ha was carried out during 2001–2020 following a pilot study in 1999–2000. A total of 125 individuals were marked with aluminium rings, with their age and sex recorded. Bayesian modelling of survival probabilities revealed that the population, typically comprising 4–8 adult individuals annually, exhibited sex-specific survival rates that significantly influenced population dynamics. Population size was driven by the numbers of adult females in spring, which depended on their winter survival. The gradual decline and eventual extinction of this population over six years were primarily influenced by the disappearance of local males, coupled with insufficient and delayed male immigration from neighbouring populations. This scarcity of male arrivals may reflect broader challenges within the metapopulation, potentially driven by habitat evolution towards mature forest stages and the impacts of forest management practices. Forest dormice were not recorded in other parts of the same forest despite targeted searches using nestboxes at the study’s end, suggesting significant challenges for recolonization within the metapopulation. The study underscores the critical need for conservation strategies that consider habitat quality, connectivity, and gender-specific survival dynamics to mitigate extinction risk in forest dormouse populations.