Abstract
In the eastern part of Saxony (Germany), common dormiceMuscardinus avellanarius (Linnaeus, 1758) were found in very small woods (average area of 10 woods was 2.9 ± 1.4 ha) isolated within agricultural fields for more than 100 years (average distance to the next, larger wood 268 ± 84 m). Dormice reproduced even in wood islands smaller than two hectares. Altogether 6 marked dormice were recorded migrating across the open landscape. Of these, 5 were juveniles. Minimum and maximum distances in treeless areas between points of capture and recapture were 250 and 500 m respectively. These migrations over open ground seem to be rare but normal events and explain the presence of common dormice in very small patches of woodland in habitat mosaics.
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Associate editor was Magdalena Niedziałkowska.
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Büchner, S. Dispersal of common dormiceMuscardinus avellanarius in a habitat mosaic. Acta Theriol 53, 259–262 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193122
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193122