<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Riparian stands along streams are important landscape elements – biocorridors, allowing the dispersal of many small terrestrial mammals. Streams are, however, also barriers limiting dispersal, which leads to isolation and population-genetic changes. Communities of small terrestrial mammals (Eulipotyphla, Rodentia) were studied in 2004 to 2006 on five watercourses of varying widths in Central European cultural landscape situated in South Bohemia (Czech Republic). In total, 547 individuals from 10 species were captured by the Capture-Mark-Recapture method (CMR). Yellow-necked mouse (<italic>Apodemus flavicollis</italic>) and bank voles (<italic>Myodes glareolus</italic>) were eu-dominant species at all locations. Species diversity and equitability rose with the degree of the barrier – proportional to the width of the stream.</p><p>The terrestrial mobility of selected species was also assessed. <italic>Apodemus flavicollis</italic> indicated overall highest values of mobility, and <italic>Myodes glareolus</italic> males also scored higher values, however, the width of the stream did not correlate with mobility in these species. The animals crossed water-courses on the order of tens of meters wide in the period of 3 months. The frequency of crossing of <italic>Apodemus flavicollis</italic> decreased exponentially with the width of the stream and was dependent on population density.</p></abstract>

Riparian stands along streams are important landscape elements – biocorridors, allowing the dispersal of many small terrestrial mammals. Streams are, however, also barriers limiting dispersal, which leads to isolation and population-genetic changes. Communities of small terrestrial mammals (Eulipotyphla, Rodentia) were studied in 2004 to 2006 on five watercourses of varying widths in Central European cultural landscape situated in South Bohemia (Czech Republic). In total, 547 individuals from 10 species were captured by the Capture-Mark-Recapture method (CMR). Yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) were eu-dominant species at all locations. Species diversity and equitability rose with the degree of the barrier – proportional to the width of the stream.The terrestrial mobility of selected species was also assessed. Apodemus flavicollis indicated overall highest values of mobility, and Myodes glareolus males also scored higher values, however, the width of the stream did not correlate with mobility in these species. The animals crossed water-courses on the order of tens of meters wide in the period of 3 months. The frequency of crossing of Apodemus flavicollis decreased exponentially with the width of the stream and was dependent on population density.

Small terrestrial mammals living along streams acting as natural landscape barriers

Department of Biological Disciplines, Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 31a, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Ekológia (Bratislava)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Riparian stands along streams are important landscape elements – biocorridors, allowing the dispersal of many small terrestrial mammals. Streams are, however,...

Small terrestrial mammals living along streams acting as natural landscape barriers

Published Online: May 28, 2016

Page range: 191 - 204

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/eko-2016-0015

Keywords
barrier, mobility, CMR,

© 2016 Tomáš Bohdal et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Small terrestrial mammals living along streams acting as natural landscape barriers

Published Online: May 28, 2016

Page range: 191 - 204

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/eko-2016-0015

Keywordsbarrier, mobility, CMR,

© 2016 Tomáš Bohdal et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
barrier, mobility, CMR,