9th international dormouse conference · the organizing committee is happy to welcome you all to...

PROGRAMME & BOOK OF ABSTRACTS

9TH INTERNATIONALDORMOUSE CONFERENCE18 SEPTEMBER – 23 SEPTEMBER 2014SVENDBORG – DENMARK

ISBN: 978-87-93129-19-1


9TH INTERNATIONALDORMOUSE CONFERENCE

18 SEPTEMBER – 23 SEPTEMBER 2014SVENDBORG - DENMARK

Foto: Jacob Alsted

3

CONTENTS

CONTENT

WELCOME ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME ...................................................................................................................................... 6

ABSTRACTS ..........................................................................................................................................................................11

POSTERS ................................................................................................................................................................................ 54

Foto Peter Leth

5

WELCOME

DEAR COLLEAGUES

The organizing committee is happy to welcome you all to the 9th International Dormouse Conference,18 September – 23 September 2014 Svendborg, Denmark

ORGANIZING COMMITTEEThomas Bjørneboe Berg, NATURAMADronningemaen 30, DK-5700 Svendborg, DenmarkTel. +45 2488 6285, [email protected]

Helle Vilhelmsen, Dormiceconsult.dkBontvedvej 13, DK-5700 Svendborg, Denmark Tel. +45 2811 2350, [email protected]

Leif Bisschop-Larsen, Danish Ministry of the Environment Nature Agency Sollerupvej 24, DK-5600 Faaborg, DenmarkTel. +45 7254 3473, [email protected]

Mogens Krog, Danish Ministry of the Environment Nature AgencyHaraldsgade 53, DK-2100 København Ø., DenmarkTel. +45 2526 9567, [email protected]

Aksel Bo Madsen, Department of Bioscience – Kalø Aarhus UniversityGrenåvej 14, DK-8410 Rønde, DenmarkTel. +45 2166 3170, [email protected]

Sven Büchner, Ortsstraße 174, D-02829 Markersdorf, Germany Tel. +49 35829 64602, [email protected]

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEEPat Morris, United Kingdom

Rimvydas Juškaitis, Lithuania

Boris Krystufek, Slovenia

Sven Büchner, Germany

Thomas Bjørneboe Berg, Denmark

Peter Sunde, Denmark

Morten Elmeros, Denmark

Hans J. Baagøe, Denmark

LINGUISTIC REVISION OF ABSTRACTSJennifer Lynch, Department of Bioscience – Kalø, Aarhus University

6

PROGRAMME

CONFERENCEPROGRAMME

18 SEPTEMBER, THURSDAY

16:00 Arrival and registration at Naturama, Dronningemaen 30, 5700 Svendborg

19:00 Dinner and informal welcome party at Naturama in the evening

19 SEPTEMBER, FRIDAY

9:00-9:30 Opening ceremony

9:00-9:10 Thomas B. Berg (Denmark)Welcome to the place and the conference

9:10-9:15 Helle Vilhelmsen (Denmark)

House keeping arrangements

9:15-9:30 Pat Morris (United Kingdom)

Review the history and purpose of the dormouse conferences

9:30-11:15 Palaeo-zoology, morphometry, evolutionChair: Pat Morris (United Kingdom)

9:30-9:55 Hilmar Schnick & S. Büchner (Germany)

The occurrence of the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in the south-western Baltic region and its biogeographical implications

9:55-10:20 Alice Mouton, S. Renaud & J.R. Michaux (Belgium)

When morphometry meets genetics: the case of the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius

10:20-10:45 Naderi Gholamreza., M. Kaboli, M. Lahout, M. Kamran, A. Davadrpanah, H. Rezaei & B. Krystufek (Iran)

Evolutionary divergence of the fat dormouse in Hycanian refugium of northern Iran

10:45-11:00 Olga Grigoryeva (Russia)

Phylogeography of the forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula (Pallas, 1778) (Gliridae, Rodentia) in Russian plain and the Caucasus

11:00-11:15 Fraser J. Combe, J. Ellis, & E. Harris (United Kingdom)

The phylogeographic structure of UK hazel dormice, Muscardinus avellanarius, and their genetic rela-tionship to mainland Europe

11:15-11:35 Coff ee and tea break

7

PROGRAMME

11:35-12.50 Predation, hibernation, trophic levelChair: Nida Al-Fulaij (United Kingdom)

11:35-12:00 Shusaku Minato, M. Iwabuchi & H. Aiba (Japan)

Stable isotope analysis for the trophic level of the Japanese dormouse

12:00-12:25 Laima Baltrūnaitė, R. Juškaitis & V. Augutė (Lithuania)

Diet of three dormice species on the north-western periphery of their ranges

12:25-12:50 Peter Adamik (Czech Republic)

Killing is a young males’ business: patterns and benefi ts of nest predation on cavity-nesting birds by edible dormouse

12:50-13:50 Lunch at Naturama

13:50-15:00 Immune system, reproduction 1Chair: Rimvydas Juškaitis (Lithuania)

13:50-14:05 Franz Langer & J. Fietz (Germany)

Ways to measure body temperature in the fi eld

14:05-14:30 Roger C. Trout, S. Brooks & P. Morris (United Kingdom)

Why are old edible dormice (Glis glis) not found in nest boxes in some years?

14:30-14:55 Dania Richter, F.-R. Matuschka, J. Tomiuk & J. Fietz (Germany)

Seasonal prevalence of lyme disease spirochetes in the edible dormouse (Glis glis)


15:15-16:35 Demography, reproduction 2Chair: Alice Mouton (Belgium)

15:15-15:30 Nadine Havenstein & J. Fietz (Germany)

Life histories written in blood

15:30-15:45 Agata Czapracka, M. Jurczyszyn & E. Baraniak (Poland)

Coexistence of three dormouse species (edible dormouse, common dormouse, forest dormouse) and their infestation with fl eas in Poland

15:45-16:00 Mirosław Jurczyszyn & A. Czapracka (Poland)

Frequency of occurrence of loud calls in wild populations of edible dormouse Glis glis

16:00-16:15 Georgi Markov (Bulgaria)

Bioavailability of heavy metals in forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula PALL., 1779) in agricultural region in Bulgaria

16:30-17:30 Poster presentations

19:00 Dinner on your own in the town of Svendborg

20:30 Video session at Naturama by Joachim Hinz (45 min)

Sleepy head dormouse Wide Awake

8

PROGRAMME

20 SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY

9:00-10:40 Habitat and environment 1Chair: Sven Büchner (Germany)

9:00-9:25 Rasmus M. Mortensen, M. Fischer, L. Dalby, P. Sunde and T.B. Berg (Denmark)

Habitat selection analyses of the common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius in Denmark

9:25-9:50 Robyn A. Grant (United Kingdom)

Canopy use in the hazel dormouse

9:50-10:15 Michelle F. Fischer, R.M. Mortensen, L. Dalby, P. Sunde and T.B. Berg (Denmark)

Spatial behavior of the common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius in Denmark

10:15-10:40 Rimvydas Juškaitis, Linas Balčiauskas, Laima Baltrūnaitė & Vita Augutė (Lithuania)

Peculiarities of dormouse (Gliridae) populations on the north-western periphery of their distributional range


11:00-12:20 Habitat and environment 2

Chair: Joanna Fietz (Germany)

11:00-11:25 Markus Dietz, S. Büchner, J. Hillen & B. Schulz (Germany)

Species distribution and dispersal corridor modelling for the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius at the northern border of its range

11:25-11:40 Simone Bullion (United Kingdom)

15 years of tracking down Suff olk (UK) Dormice

11:40-11:55 Magomedrasul Magomedov (Russia)

Habitats quality assessment of forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula Pallas 1779) in Dagestan, Russia; role of food availability and vegetation structure

11:55-12:10 Johannes Böhme & S. Büchner (Germany)

How many controls are enough? Monitoring the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in Saxony (Germany)?

12:10-12:35 Carina Scherbaum-Heberer, K.-H. Schmidt,. & B. Koppmann-Rumpf (Germany)

Various nestbox types and their suitability for the common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius

12:35-13:30 Lunch at Naturama

13:30-14:50 Nestbox studies, marking

Chair: Carina Scherbaum-Herberer (Germany)

13:30-13:55 Roger Trout, S. Brooks & P. Rudlin (United Kingdom)

The advantages of permanent marking, such as microchipping, during long term monitoring of the hazel dormouse

13:55-14.10 Vita Augutė & R. Juškaitis (Lithuania)

New data on ecology of the fat dormouse (Glis glis) in Lithuania

14:10-17:30 Trip with the ferry M/S Helge and visit at the castle of Valdemar (stuff ed animals)


20:30 Video session at Naturama by Goedele Verbeylen (60 min)

How to live-trap common dormice and (almost) nothing else

9

PROGRAMME

21 SEPTEMBER, SUNDAY

9:00- 12:30 Visit at diff erent dormouse projects in the surroundings (fauna bridge, habitats, etc)

Lunch in the forest of Sollerup

15:00-17:00 More illustrative habitats (Svanninge Bjerge and Nørremark)


22 SEPTEMBER, MONDAY

9:00-10:40 Management and monitoring 1

Chair: Peter Adamik (Czech Republic)

9:00-9:25 D. Rozyska, Jasmine Lim, R. Trout & S. Brooks (United Kingdom)

Have wild boar signifi cantly impacted on hazel dormouse populations in the UK?

9:25-9:50 Pat & M. Morris (United Kingdom)

Evidence for social behaviour in Glis glis and its potential signifi cance.

9:50-10:15 Kim Madikiza (South Africa)

Sociality in the African woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus: preliminary results and future studies

10:15-10:40 Emmanuel Do Linh San, S. Lamani & K. Madikiza (South Africa.)

Microhabitat selection of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus in a riverine Combretum thicket


11:00-12:05 Management and monitoring 2

Chair: Roger Trout (United Kingdom)

11:00-11:25 Ian White (United Kingdom)

Hazel dormouse life history from the NDMP

11:25-11:50 Lars Dalby, P. Sunde, M. Elmeros, C.J. Topping (Denmark)

An agent-based model for common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius and the lessons learned from constructing it

11:50-12:05 Nida Al-Fulaij (United Kingdom)

Dormice at Briddlesford Nature Reserve

12:05 -13:10 Lunch at Naturama

13:10-14:25 Conservation 1

Chair: Aksel B. Madsen (Denmark)

13:10-13:35 Amelia Mogg & R. Trout (United Kingdom)

Surveys of damage by edible dormice (Glis glis) in the built environment in England

13:35-14:00 Ryan Hazel (United Kingdom)

Captive breeding of the hazel dormouse in the UK

14:00-14:25 Goedele Verbeylen (Belgium)

The common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in Flanders (Belgium): comparing methods to study and monitor the population in two diff erent sites

10

PROGRAMME


Chair: Björn Schulz (Germany)

14:25-14:40 Aiba Haruka, M. Iwabuchi, Y. Satoh, K. Ootake, K. Iwamoto, S. Oda, H. Komatsu, H. Kobayashi, S. Ho-saka, P.A. Morris & S. Minato (Japan)

Report on activities for animal pathways and their popularization

14:40-14:55 Johannes Lang, S. Büchner, M. Dietz, A. Möller & K. Rüth (Germany)

Moving hazel dormice: How to and how many?

14:55-15:10 Katja Rüth, A. Krannich, J. Lang, C. Morkel & M. Dietz (Germany)

Establishment of translocated hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in North Rhine-Westphalla (Germany)

15:10-15.30 Coff ee and tea break


Chair: Thomas B. Berg (Denmark)

15:30-15:55 Dot Eaton (United Kingdom)

The Dormouse Project in England 1982-1994 – the beginning

15:55-16:20 Björn Schulz, M. Krog, S. Ehlers, H. Vilhelmsen & M. Reimers (Germany)

How to be rescued in the middle of nowhere – the attempt to safeguard extremely isolated common dormouse populations

16:20-16:45 Diana White (United Kingdom)

Doing our bit for dormice – volunteer involvement in UK dormouse conservation

16:45-17:45 Round table workshop at Naturama

1) Reintroduction2) Conservation3) Monitoring

17:45-18:30 Pat Morris (United Kingdom)

Summary of the table workshop and planning the next conference

19:00 Fare-well dinner at Naturama

23 SEPTEMBER, TUESDAY

07.00-? Departure/home

08.00 Departure for post-conference excursion

ABSTRACTS

12

ABSTRACTS

The range of the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanar-ius) in recent years in the south-western Baltic region has been infl uenced by the paleogeographical development of this area. From the end of the Pleistocene glaciation the region remained above sea level for several thou-sand years until it was fl ooded by the Baltic Sea. The development of plant communities in the region refl ects the evolution of the climate. Conditions changed from arctic to subarctic and temperate conditions. As a result of these changes the genus Corylus immigrated into the south-western Baltic region. According to palynological records the absolute Corylus-maximum occurred during the Boreal (10,150 - 9,450 calendar years before present; cal. a BP). Subsequently, in a period with higher annual temperatures than today, an immigration of additional tree species typical of dormouse habitats took place. Thus, the prerequisites for the development of a coherent south-western Baltic hazel dormouse population were established.

In the course of the rapid rise in sea level (the Littorina transgression) this habitat was fragmented into a southern Swedish subarea, a western Danish/north German sub-area and several Danish island subareas around 7,200 cal. BP It is probable that the Darss Sill area formed the last terrestrial connection between Denmark and north-east-ern Germany at that time and later the Rügen area also became an archipelago of initially isolated islands. At present the only hazel dormouse population on a German Baltic Sea island is found on the island of Rügen.

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, palaeo-zoology, Bal-tic Sea

THE OCCURRENCE OF THE HAZEL DORMOUSE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS) IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN BALTIC REGION AND ITS BIOGEOGRAPHICAL IMPLICATIONSH. Schnick¹ & S. Büchner² (Germany)

¹[email protected] ²[email protected]

13

ABSTRACTS

The aim of the investigation was to apply geometric morphometrics to the study of evolutionary processes that might have driven intra-specifi c diff erentiation of the common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius in Europe. The analysis of phenotypic features appears to be a valu-able complement to genetic analyses, providing a com-plementary insight into evolutionary processes, such as diff erentiation by vicariance or adaptation to diff erent en-vironments. Previous genetic studies revealed a complex phylogeographic pattern with the presence of two highly divergent lineages subdivided into geographic clades. We therefore investigated whether this genetic diff erentiation leads to a morphometric diff erentiation. We examined

240 museum dormouse specimens from 34 localities. For each specimen, the size and shape of the fi rst upper mo-lar (UM1) was quantifi ed using an outline analysis based on Fourier methods. A geographic structure emerges from the morphometric pattern of diff erentiation, partially corresponding to the expectations based on the genetic results. The knowledge acquired through this study may add a signifi cant piece to the puzzle in understanding the evolutionary history of the common dormouse and may have important implications for its conservation.

Keywords: geometric morphometrics, Muscardinus avella-narius, conservation, ESU

WHEN MORPHOMETRY MEETS GENETICS: THE CASE OF THE COMMON DORMOUSE, MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUSA. Mouton1, S. Renaud & J.R. Michaux (Belgium/France)[email protected]

14

ABSTRACTS

The phylogenetic reconstruction of the fat dormouse (Glis Glis) clustered the new haplotypes into the Iranian lineage which hold a sister position against all other fat dormouse haplotypes from Europe and Asia Minor. Morphometric geometric analysis of the mandibles from all parts of its distributional range also confi rms such deep divergence. The divergence between these lineages suggests a fragmentation event of an ancestral population at 5.76 million years ago (mya) at the end of the Miocene. This early evolutionary divergence was possibly triggered in the Middle East by dramatically divergent environmental conditions during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. We suggest a long-term persistence of the Iranian lineage in the Hyr-canian refugium which is consistent with a high number of endemics along the southern Caspian coastal areas.

Extreme morphological diff erences in the species can be seen in the Hyrcanian refugium. Our results showed that Iranian dormice have on average more nipples (mean = 12.57 ± 1.024) than their counterparts from other parts of the world. The litter size in the Iranian fat dor-mouse is 7.85 ± 0.89 which is evidently more than reported in other populations. It seems that such large morphologi-cal divergence is related to the evolutionary history of the species in the Hyrcanian refugium.

Keywords: fat dormouse, ecology, phylogenetics, morpho-metric geometrics, geographical distribution

EVOLUTIONARY DIVERGENCE OF THE FAT DORMOUSE IN THE HYRCANIAN REFUGIUM OF NORTHERN IRANG. Naderi1, M. Kaboli, M. Lahout, M. Kamran, A. Davadrpanah, H. Rezaei & B. Krystufek (Iran/Slovenia)[email protected]

15

ABSTRACTS

The genetic polymorphism of the forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula (Pallas, 1778) from isolated populations from the Russian Plain and the Caucasus was investigated using the cytochrome b gene (cytb). The genetic distance calcu-lated between these populations of forest dormouse was 9.94 %, which corresponds to the typical distance between biological species of mammals. Furthermore the genetic distance of cytb between Western and Central Caucasus forest dormouse populations was also signifi cant (6.0 %). It is probable that the European and Caucasian ranges of forest

dormice were isolated over an extended period during the entire Pleistocene. The possibility of recognizing the Cauca-sus forest dormouse as a separate species, (D. tichomirovi, as suggested by Satunin in 1920) with several haplogroups, is yet to be determined.

Keywords: phylogeography, mitochondrial DNA, cy-tochrome-b, haplogroups, taxonomy, Dryomys nitedula, D. tichomirovi

PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE FOREST DORMOUSE DRYOMYS NITEDULA(PALLAS, 1778) (GLIRIDAE, RODENTIA) IN THE RUSSIAN PLAIN AND THE CAUCASUSO. Grigoryeva (Russia)

[email protected]

16

ABSTRACTS

The UK dormouse has seen a population decline which has been attributed to habitat fragmentation and land use changes during this period. We conducted a phylogeo-graphic study to spatially assess correspondence between phylogenetic sequences and their geographic distribution. Initial observations of the phylogeographic relationships within the common dormouse identifi ed separate lin-eages which diverged over 7 million years ago (mya). The fi rst lineage is comprised of populations throughout Western Europe and Italy and the second covers Cen-tral-Northern Europe, the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey (Mouton et al. 2012). However this study did not include UK populations. The present study aims to assess the phylog-eny and genetic distances between the UK populations and their European counterparts.

Cytochrome B sequences from across the UK were gen-erated and added to the existing dormouse sequences. Conclusions were drawn as to whether the UK populations had diverged from conspecifi c populations in relation to their possible designation as an Evolutionary Signifi cant Unit (ESU) for conservation. It is important to identify units within species to help guide management and monitor-ing in order to facilitate conservation of species and their habitats. Likewise, at a larger spatial scale, consideration of the genetic distinctiveness of species is critical to inform global conservation concerns, yet the taxonomic status of the UK hazel dormouse is unknown.

Keywords: conservation, phylogenetics, genetic distance, evolutionary signifi cant units

THE PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE OF UK HAZEL DORMICE, MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS, AND THEIR GENETIC RELATIONSHIP TO MAINLAND EUROPEF.J. Combe1, J. Ellis & E. Harris2 (United Kingdom)[email protected]@mmu.ac.uk

17

ABSTRACTS

This study aimed to fi nd the trophic level of the Japanese dormouse (Glirulus japonicus) in a forest habitat. An un-derstanding of feeding habits and trophic level is impor-tant for exploring the natural history and for conservation. The Japanese dormouse is an endemic species in Japan, one of the oldest mammals in the Japanese Archipelago, and a natural treasure of the country. The forest study site was located southeast of Akadake in the Yatsugatake mountain range. Three samples were collected: hair sam-ples from adult dormice and groups comprising mothers

and their off -spring captured in nest boxes, fl owers and fruits collected during the day and arboreal insects and spiders collected at night. Insects and spiders were col-lected by beating trees at two stations at the survey sites. The samples were analyzed for stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. The results showed that the Japanese dor-mouse is positioned at the highest trophic level.

Keywords: trophic level, Glirulus japonicas, stable isotope analysis

STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS FOR THE TROPHIC LEVEL OF THE JAPANESE DORMOUSE S. Minato1, M. Iwabuchi2 & H. Aiba3 (Japan)[email protected]@[email protected]

18

ABSTRACTS

The diet of three dormice species, hazel dormouse Mus-cardinus avellanarius, forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula and fat dormouse Glis Glis was studied in Lithuania, on the north-western periphery of their distribution ranges. A non-invasive method, the microscopic analysis of faeces was used. The study period covered at least one year of the entire dormouse active season in three separate study sites. Food of plant origin predominated in the diet of the hazel dormouse and the fat dormouse during the entire active season, except during May-June when there was a certain increase in the proportion of food of animal origin consumed. However, food of animal origin prevailed in the diet of the forest dormouse from late April till mid-July, with

the consumption of food of plant origin increasing only in the second half of its active season. All three dormouse species showed a preference to feed on seasonally abun-dant and locally available food of plant origin. In the dif-ferent dormice species the majority of food of animal ori-gin comprised of birds, birds eggs, insects and millipedes. The research was funded by the European Social Fund under the Global Grant measure (grant No VP1-3.1-ŠMM-07-K-01-026).

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, Dryomys nitedula, Glis Glis, diet, faeces analysis, Lithuania

DIET OF THREE DORMICE SPECIES ON THE NORTH-WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THEIR RANGESL. Baltrūnaitė1, R. Juškaitis2 & V. Augutė3 (Lithuania)1Laima Baltrūnaitė [email protected]@[email protected]

19

ABSTRACTS

Hibernators may face the challenge of limited access to available nutrients when they emerge in spring from their hibernacula. This study examined the patterns of spring emergence of the edible dormouse (Glis Glis) and the occupancy of available bird nest boxes during 2007–2013. After their fi rst hibernation individuals, especially males, were emerging earlier than older dormice. Emergence was strongly infl uenced by patterns of seed masting ei-ther in the current or preceding year. Young males were

responsible for the majority of cases of nest predation among cavity-nesting birds, mostly fl ycatchers (Ficedula). The study analyzed whether nest predation brought any short-term benefi ts, e.g. reduced occurrence of torpor, to the predatory individuals.

Keywords: nest predation, hibernation, edible dormouse, spring emergence, torpor

KILLING IS A YOUNG MALES’ BUSINESS: PATTERNS AND BENEFITS OF NEST PREDATION ON CAVITY-NESTING BIRDS BY EDIBLE DORMOUSE (GLIS GLIS)P. Adamik (Czech Republic)

[email protected]

20

ABSTRACTS

Body temperature (Tb) represents one of the key param-eters in ecophysiological studies focusing on energy sav-ing strategies. In this study we fi rst tested the accuracy of two types of temperature-sensitive passive transponders (LifeChips and IPTT-300) and one data logger (iButton, DS1922L) in a water bath. Secondly, we evaluated the usefulness of LifeChips implanted subcutaneously and iButtons mounted onto a collar for measuring Tb in a small heterothermic mammal, the edible dormouse (Glis Glis) under fi eld conditions. We implanted 14 males with transponders and equipped another 14 individuals with data loggers to simultaneously record Tb and oxygen consumption. In one individual we recorded Tb with both devices and analyzed recorded Tb patterns.

Calibration experiments revealed that IPTT-300 tran-sponders need to be individually calibrated before using them at low temperatures. LifeChip transponders as well as modifi ed iButtons measured Tb reliably under fi eld conditions. Simultaneous Tb-recordings in one edible dor-mouse with an implanted LifeChip and a collar-mounted iButton revealed that values from both measurements were closely correlated. Taken together, we conclude that implanted temperature-sensitive transponders represent an appropriate and largely non-invasive method to meas-ure Tb under fi eld conditions.

Keywords: body temperature, heterothermia, edible dor-mouse, iButton, passive transponder

WAYS TO MEASURE BODY TEMPERATURE IN THE FIELD F. Langer1 & J. Fietz2 (Germany)[email protected]@uni-hohenheim.de

21

ABSTRACTS

Evidence from the only woodland study in the UK of the non-native edible dormouse (Glis Glis) shows that whilst limited or extensive breeding occurs in most years non-breeding years also occur. This is understood to relate to the extent of fl owering in tree species in spring and their level of fl ower production. Morris & Morris (2010) used a small sample to show that some adults do not ap-pear in nest box inspection records during non-breeding years, but are present during the next breeding year. In this study we have subsequently refi ned and increased the database, collating information from a sample of 222

edible dormice (136 female; 86 male) known to be alive for between 5 and 13 years. Previously 4850 individuals had been microchipped (of which 3000 are currently alive but under 5 years old) during a continuous study period of 18 years. The numbers present in nest boxes in this sample is signifi cantly diff erent between breeding years and non-breeding years. This was true for both males and females. The paper discusses alternative explanatory op-tions interpreted from these fi ndings and the implications for population control planning and our research aimed at demonstrating the reality.

WHY ARE OLD EDIBLE DORMICE (GLIS GLIS) NOT FOUND IN NEST BOXES IN SOME YEARS?R.C. Trout1, S. Brooks2 & P. Morris3 (United Kingdom)[email protected]@wkwt.org.uk [email protected]

22

ABSTRACTS

In Europe, dormice serve as competent reservoir hosts for the tick-borne agents of Lyme disease (LD) and seem to support them more effi ciently than mice or voles do. The longevity of edible dormice (Glis Glis) and their at-tractiveness for ticks may result in a predominance of LD spirochetes in ticks questing in dormouse habitats. To investigate the role of edible dormice in the transmission cycle of LD spirochetes, we sampled skin tissue from the ear pinnae of dormice inhabiting several study sites in Germany. Of 501 edible dormice, 12.6 % harbored DNA of LD spirochetes. No spirochetal DNA was detectable in the skin of edible dormice until July, six weeks after they generally start to emerge from their obligate hibernation.

Thereafter, the prevalence of spirochetal DNA in edible dormice increased during the remaining period of their four to fi ve months of activity reaching nearly 40 % in Sep-tember. Males were more than four times more likely to harbor LD spirochetes than females and yearlings were almost twice as likely to be infected compared to adults. The seasonality of the prevalence of LD spirochetes in edi-ble dormice was pronounced and may aff ect their role as a reservoir host in respect to other hosts.

Keywords: Lyme disease, Glis Glis, Borrelia afzelii, hibernation

SEASONAL PREVALENCE OF LYME DISEASE SPIROCHETES IN THE EDIBLE DORMOUSE (GLIS GLIS)D. Richter1, F.-R. Matuschka, J. Tomiuk & J. Fietz2 (Germany)[email protected]@uni-hohenheim.de

23

ABSTRACTS

A competent immune and a capable oxidative system (red blood cells) are indispensable for reproduction and survival. Stress aff ects both systems, and if chronically ex-perienced, modulations in the numbers and functionality of the white and red blood cells may reduce fi tness.

Reproduction constitutes a highly demanding situation in the edible dormouse (Glis Glis), which was shown to be associated with reduced survival in this small obligate hibernator. Based on these observations, we assumed that reproducing edible dormice experience high stress levels. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether the immune and oxidative systems exhibit stress induced alterations during reproduction. We therefore investigated hematological parameters of edible dormice from fi ve diff erent study sites in south-western Germany during their active season.

During the reproductive period, we found a signifi cant increase in the number of innate immune cells, whereas lymphocyte numbers concurrently decreased. At the same time, erythrocyte parameters refl ected the manifes-tation of a regenerative anaemia. These hematological changes are typical indicators of chronically perceived stress.

The detection of these physiological alterations raises the question, whether the permanent high stress level contributes to augmented mortality rates associated with reproduction.

Keywords: edible dormouse, immune system, reproduc-tion, stress

LIFE HISTORIES WRITTEN IN BLOOD N. Havenstein1 & J. Fietz2 (Germany)[email protected]@uni-hohenheim.de

24

ABSTRACTS

Fleas are obligatory hematophages, which parasitise both mammals and birds. High mobility of these insects ena-bles them to infest new hosts or change hosts even during very short contact. In locations where edible dormouse (Glis Glis), common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) and forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) occur together they use common spaces and the same shelters which may promote the exchange of fl ea species between them. The main goal of the study was to investigate how coexistence and utilization of common space infl uences the composition and structure of fl ea assemblages infest-ing dormice. Research was conducted in locations where only edible dormouse or common dormouse was present and in locations where all three species coexisted. To assess host specifi city of fl eas infesting edible dormouse, samples were collected in three additional locations across Poland and a fi eld experiment was conducted.

All three dormouse species were parasitised mainly by one species of fl ea Monopsyllus sciurorum (Schrank, 1803) which occurred in almost all investigated samples. Other species of fl eas were found on dormice occasionally. There was a great diff erence in infestation parameters be-tween the population of edible dormouse and common dormouse. No geographical variation in fl ea assemblages on edible dormouse in Poland was found. Additionally during the research one species of louse parasitizing com-mon dormouse and one species of beetle from edible dormouse were collected.

Keywords: ectoparasites of dormice, host-parasite interac-tions, coexistence of dormouse species

COEXISTENCE OF THREE DORMOUSE SPECIES (EDIBLE DORMOUSE, COMMON DORMOUSE AND FOREST DORMOUSE) AND THEIR INFESTATION WITH FLEAS IN POLANDA. Czapracka1, M. Jurczyszyn & E. Baraniak (Poland)[email protected]

25

ABSTRACTS

Field studies were conducted fi eld studies investigating the sonorous vocalizations of two edible dormouse (Glis Glis) populations with two diff erent population densities; high density (HD ~ 8-10 individuals per hectare, ind./ha) and low density (LD ~ 3 ind./ha). Studies determined that the number of loud calls and “performances” (series of loud calls) produced by the HD population was similar to the LD population. However, diff erences were reported between males and females in terms of the timing of the most frequent vocalization. The males’ loud calls were most frequent in the month of August during a mast year with breeding, when beechnuts become ripe and reach

their full nutritional value. The females’ vocalization had a similar frequency in July and August of a mast year with breeding. A diff erence between sexes was observed in July of a breeding year, at the time of mating, which is probably connected to the females’ tendency to display territorial behaviour and the lack of this tendency in males. These results show that the loud calls are linked with the protection of resources within home ranges, probably food resources, and they are not linked with mating activity.

Keywords: loud calls, population density, diff erence be-tween sexes

FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF LOUD CALLS IN WILD POPULATIONS OF EDIBLE DORMOUSE GLIS GLISM. Jurczyszyn & A. Czapracka1 (Poland)[email protected]

26

ABSTRACTS

The heavy metal load in the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) inhabiting forest shelter belts in the agricultural region in Bulgaria was assessed. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb and Cd (expressed in mg/kg of dry tissue) were established in liver tissue, using an atomic-absorp-tion analysis. Highly toxic metals (lead and cadmium) were found in considerable concentrations together with elements with concentration dependent toxic eff ects (Cu, Ni, Zn and Co) in the liver of forest ormice. This suggests that it is necessary to carry out regular assessment and forecasting of the accumulation of these metals in species,

which are not direct targets of cultivation and to control activities in agricultural ecosystems. The obtained values were used to create a baseline to estimate the accumu-lation of heavy metals in the internal organs of the forest dormouse both in anthropogenically transformed habitats and in natural biotopes, and for using this species as a monitor of environmental status.

Keywords: heavy metals, Dryomys nitedula, Bulgaria, agro ecosystem, bioaccumulation

BIOAVAILABILITY OF HEAVY METALS IN FOREST DORMOUSE (DRYOMYS NITEDULA PALL, 1779) IN THE AGRICULTURAL REGION IN BULGARIAG. Markov (Bulgaria)

[email protected]

27

ABSTRACTS

The common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is de-clining in Denmark as well as in other part of its geograph-ical range. To improve or restore habitats of the remaining dormouse populations in Denmark knowledge about the species’ habitat requirements is of paramount importance. We analyzed habitat selection of common dormice at two spatial scales: (1) location of home ranges within popula-tions (conditional probability of occupancy of nest tubes and nest boxes in 13 diff erent populations relative to hab-itat variables measured within 25 m radius) and (2) within home ranges (nocturnal telemetry fi xes from 13 individuals compared with regularly distributed availability fi xes).

The probability of occupancy could be modelled as an increasing function of vegetation density and abundance of soft mast species and as a negative function of tree height. Nocturnally active dormice selected patches with higher species richness of woody plants, denser vegeta-tion, lower tree height, thicker trunks and lower tree crown cover compared to availability within their home ranges. Males and females displayed similar selection patterns, and individual selection coeffi cients were constant along availability gradients and across seasons (May-Oct).

Keywords: common dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, habitat selection, resource selection function

HABITAT SELECTION ANALYSES OF THE COMMON DORMOUSE MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS IN DENMARKR. M. Mortensen¹, M. F. Fischer2, L. Dalby3, P. Sunde4 & T. B. Berg5 [email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

28

ABSTRACTS

There has been a decline in the numbers of hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) due to habitat loss and frag-mentation. Dormice live in trees and actively avoid open spaces. Increasing the sizes of the fragmented dormice populations by connecting suitable habitat patches is critical to managing populations; for example by devel-oping wildlife corridors and dormice bridges. However, due to the diffi culties in collecting behavioural data from dormice, there has been little research to assess how they

make use of the canopy. This study aims to investigate canopy use by using high-speed video analyses of dor-mice locomotion around a climbing arena. We observed that dormice use their whiskers to guide their climbing and feet positioning. They also use their whiskers to sense gap sizes in the dark, much like other rodents do. As a noctur-nal climber, dormice use their whiskers as a primary sense to guide locomotion. This gives us important insights in to dormouse behaviour and canopy use.

CANOPY USE IN THE HAZEL DORMOUSER. A. Grant (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

29

ABSTRACTS

Denmark is part of the northern limit of the geographical range of the common dormouse (Muscardinus avella-narius). From ecological niche theory, life conditions in northern populations may therefore be more extreme than further south, e.g. with respect to the abundance of resources and the infl uence of abiotic factors. Behavioural strategies may diff er accordingly. From May-October 2013, we studied spatial behaviour of 3 female and 8 male ra-dio-tagged dormice in Svanninge Bjerge near Faaborg. Individuals were followed continuously throughout the night, revealing their movement paths between consec-utive day roosts. The study is intended to continue in 2014 and some preliminary results are presented here. Mean home range sizes (95 % and 50 % fi xed kernels) were 0.21

ha (SD=0.06) and 0.07 ha (SD=0.02) for females and 0.40 ha (SD=1.49) and 0.13 ha (SD=0.7) for males. Home range sizes were borderline signifi cantly larger in males than in females (p=0.057 and 0.099), with males displaying a larger inter-individual variation in range sizes than females (p = 0.008 and 0.012). Males and females moved on av-erage 340 m (SE=49) and 311 m (SE=75) per night. Results from the analyses of variation in space use, activity and displacement patterns as functions of gender, seasons, habitat composition and weather will be presented.

Keywords: common dormouse, home range, spatial ac-tivity

SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE COMMON DORMOUSE MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS IN DENMARKM. F. Fischer1, R. M. Mortensen2, L. Dalby3, P. Sunde4 & T. B. Berg5 (Denmark)[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

30

ABSTRACTS

Lithuania is situated on the north-western periphery of the distributional ranges of the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), the fat dormouse (Glis Glis) and the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula). Population ecology, diet and vegetation parameters determining nest site selection were studied in the populations of each of the dormouse species in Lithuania. Dormouse populations were found to be distinct from more southerly-situated European popula-tions in many aspects of their ecology, and some extreme population indices were recorded. Contrary to expec-tations, the proportion of food of animal origin was not found to be higher in the dormouse diets. The composition of food of plant origin consumed by dormice in Lithuania

was found to be rather specifi c in comparison to other parts of their ranges and illustrates the high degree of adaptability that dormice show to local conditions. In nest site selection, the main habitat requirements of dormice in Lithuania are similar to those in other parts of their ranges. However, the woody plant species composition is diff erent in dormouse habitats in Lithuania in comparison to other parts of their ranges, showing a high degree of plasticity in this respect. The research was funded by the European Social Fund under the Global Grant measure (grant No VP1-3.1-ŠMM-07-K-01-026).

Keywords: dormice, populations, diet, nest sites, Lithuania

PECULIARITIES OF DORMOUSE (GLIRIDAE) POPULATIONS ON THE NORTH-WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THEIR DISTRIBUTIONAL RANGESR. Juškaitis1, L. Balčiauskas, L. Baltrūnaitė2 & V. Augutė3 (Lithuania)[email protected] Baltrūnaitė [email protected]@gmail.com

31

ABSTRACTS

Due to its comparatively low dispersal abilities, its vulnera-bility to habitat fragmentation and special habitat needs, the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is used as an indicator species for habitat diversity and connectivity in northern Germany and the southern part of Denmark.

We focused on the identifi cation of landscape charac-teristics that infl uence the current distribution of the hazel dormouse in the study area to create a habitat suitability model. This model is used to identify areas of high habitat suitability which may provide a) the habitats of the recent ‘core populations’ and b) the ‘source’ for possible re-intro-duction and/or re-colonisation of hazel dormice in parts of its former range and to interconnect isolated populations.

With the known presence data for the hazel dormouse we used an Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) to create a species distribution model. The ENFA estimates the ‘habitat suitability’ per raster cell by comparing the species’ distribution in the ‘space’ formed by the ecogeo-graphical factors, which is in fact the multidimensional ecological niche of the species, with that of the whole study area (raster cells). The habitat suitability model also provides the basis for a modelling approach to estimate the optimal habitat corridors interconnecting ‘source’ and ‘target’ populations. For this we used a least-cost path analysis.

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, ENFA, modelling

SPECIES DISTRIBUTION AND DISPERSAL CORRIDOR MODELLING OF THE HAZEL DORMOUSE MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS AT THE NORTHERN BORDER OF ITS RANGEM. Dietz, S. Büchner1, J. Hillen & B. Schulz2 (Germany)[email protected] [email protected]

32

ABSTRACTS

Suff olk lies on the north-eastern edge of the range of the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in the UK and, mirroring the national situation, their distribution also ap-pears to have contracted in this area during the last 100 years. Survey work has been undertaken throughout the

last 15 years to try to discover the extent of the remaining populations. We evaluate the success of the various meth-odologies and discuss issues associated with detecting low density populations.

15 YEARS OF TRACKING DOWN SUFFOLK (UK) DORMICES. Bullion (United Kingdom)

Simone.Bullion@suff olkwildlifetrust.org

33

ABSTRACTS

The role of vegetative structure and food availability as factors determining the state/fi tness/condition of the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) was studied in forest habi-tats in Daghestan, Russia. 11 vegetative parameters were described in two typical forest habitats (oak, Quercus sp. and hornbeam-beech Carpinus betulus, Fagus sylvatica). A number of dormice indicators were recorded including abundance, vertical and microhabitat distribution of nests, body mass and breeding rate. The study revealed that forest dormice prefers to inhabit biotopes with well-de-veloped shrubs and trees with high crown density as observed in the oak forests in Daghestan. Additionally the abundance of dormice was higher in the oak forest than in the hornbeam-beech forest. Analysis of the relationship

between forest dormouse state/fi tness/condition and vegetative productivity showed a positive correlation be-tween body mass and seed productivity and shrub cover in both forest habitats. The study revealed that that dor-mouse abundance is positively related to the trees, shrubs and crown density and negatively related to shrub and tree height and tree diameter. It is clear that the structure of the oak forest is more suitable for the forest dormouse in terms of rapid movement, climbing and jumping and fi nd-ing suitable nest locations when compared to the structure of the hornbeam-beech forest.

Keywords: D. nitedula state, oak forest and horn-beam forest structures

HABITATS QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF FOREST DORMOUSE (DRYOMYS NITEDULA PALLAS 1779)IN DAGHESTAN, RUSSIA; ROLE OF FOOD AVAILABILITY AND VEGETATION STRUCTUREM. Magomedov (Russia)

[email protected]

34

ABSTRACTS

The European Habitats Directive requires monitoring and regular reporting of the conservation status of species listed in Annex IV of this directive. To obtain data for these requirements a population monitoring programme was set up in Saxony (Germany) in 2006. The monitoring is based on nest box checks twice a year at selected monitoring sites.

This investigation aimed to fi nd out, i) what proportion of a population is detectable with two nest box checks per year and ii) which months will provide the highest num-bers of dormice. The aim was to adjust the given dates for the monitoring programme. We choose an isolated mixed deciduous forest, 15 ha in size as the study site. 105 nest

boxes were checked twice a month from April 2012 on-wards (with gaps over the winter). Additionally, 1,090 trap nights were carried out in 2012. In total 25 hazel dormice were marked in 2012 and 9 in 2013.

The majority of the population could be found in nest boxes. We showed that carrying out only two checks per year depended on several circumstances. Weather condi-tions seem to be crucial for monitoring. The highest num-bers of dormice could be found at the beginning of June and October during cool and humid weather.

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, monitoring, nest boxes, Germany

HOW MANY CONTROLS ARE ENOUGH? MONITORING THE HAZEL DORMOUSE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLENARIUS) IN SAXONY (GERMANY)J. Böhme1 & S. Büchner2 [email protected]@gmx.net

35

ABSTRACTS

The common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius is known to use nest boxes designed for birds and dormice throughout its distributional range. An initial three-year study (2009-2011) found that dormouse boxes with an in-ternal diameter of 6 cm and an entrance hole measuring 21 mm were used more intensively than bird boxes with a 26 mm entrance hole. Following this initial study we set up a scheme comprising various combinations of dormouse boxes diff ering in internal diameter and entrance hole size to fi nd out which nest box is preferred by the species.

In the winter of 2012 a total of 120 wooden nest boxes were set up in a linear array along hedgerows in two sample areas surrounding orchards in a low mountain range near the town of Schluechtern, Germany. For every sample area we set up a specifi c horizontal array of four diff erent nest box types attached to a fencepost that was repeated at intervals of 30 m to ensure that the dormice

had the same set of choices at each of the 15 stations. The nest boxes were set up with their entrance holes facing forward to fi nd out which size might be limiting to other nest box users such as hole-nesting bird species, e. g. blue tit (Parus caeruleus). The nest boxes were checked once per week from March until the disappearance of dormice in autumn. In August 2012 a third sample area comprising 60 nest boxes installed in yet another array was set up in the same region and hence checked as described above.

The preliminary results show that the common dormouse seems to choose larger entrance holes when not con-cerned with competitors such as Apodemus sp. and given the choice between diff erent internal diameters tends to choose the smaller boxes.

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, nest box, compete-tion

VARIOUS NEST BOX TYPES AND THEIR SUITABILITY FOR THE COMMON DORMOUSE MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUSC. Scherbaum-Heberer1, K.-H. Schmidt & B. Koppmann-Rumpf2 (Germany) 1 [email protected] 2 [email protected]

36

ABSTRACTS

Hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) may live for sev-eral years, unlike most mice and voles. Identifying individ-uals over a period of time (and thus the possibility of de-termining the population size) has many practical uses of interest to scientists, foresters, conservationists, developers and agents of the Minister. Across Europe leg rings, tattoo-ing and microchipping have all been used for permanent marking. Individual dormice are very rarely recaptured during subsequent nest box inspections, often less than once per year, and many are rarely captured. Microchip-ping over a 12 year period on a conifer site has enabled population estimates and crucial information on dispersal and breeding history to be gathered. Dispersal by young

marked juveniles has revealed potential woodland dis-persal patterns over time. Microchipping enables the cre-ation of a calendar of captures to improve the accuracy of population estimates. Fur clipping gives a misleading impression of recapture; in our study c. 40 % of all animals would have been classifi ed as two or more individuals, as the time between recaptures was longer than fur clipping would allow. Thus estimates of individuals present, survival, dispersal and longevity based on fur clipping are inac-curate. It is concluded that more UK sites should establish micro chipping to add to the hard data needed to answer topical priorities.

THE ADVANTAGES OF PERMANENT MARKING, SUCH AS MICRO CHIPPING, DURING LONG TERM MONITORING OF THE HAZEL DORMOUSER. Trout1, S. Brooks2 & P. Rudlin (United Kingdom)[email protected] [email protected]

37

ABSTRACTS

In Lithuania, the fat dormouse (Glis Glis) is a rare species, listed in the Red Data Book and the list of strictly protected species. For the fi rst time, a capture-mark-recapture study of the biology and ecology of the fat dormouse is being carried out. The study, which started in 2011, uses nest boxes set in a grid system in a mature mixed forest. Data on the dormouse activity season, body weight dy-namics, breeding, survival, population abundance and demographic structure are being collected and analyzed. Results have been compared with respective data on

fat dormouse populations from other parts of the distri-butional range, thus revealing peculiarities of the pop-ulation situated on the northern periphery of the range. The research was funded by the European Social Fund under the Global Grant measure (grant No VP1-3.1-ŠMM-07-K-01-026).

Keywords: Glis Glis, breeding, abundance, survival, demo-graphic structure, Lithuania

NEW DATA ON THE ECOLOGY OF THE FAT DORMOUSE (GLIS GLIS) IN LITHUANIAV. Augutė1 & R. Juškaitis2 (Lithuania)[email protected]@gmail.com

38

ABSTRACTS

Feral wild boar (Sus scrofa originally escapees from farms) have been noted for over 20 years in a portion of Southeast England. Boar root for food on the woodland fl oor where hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) hibernate in fragile nests and thus may impact on their population. 12 wooded sites likely to contain hazel dormice where boars were known to have been present for c. 20 years were chosen in Kent and Sussex. Twelve additional sites in the same region, with no recorded boar presence, were chosen from the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme. Sites were matched for soils type and woodland classifi cation where possible. 50 nest boxes were erected in early 2009

at each site and inspected using the normal protocol. The study continued for four years, though some sites dropped out of monitoring. The numbers of dormice (using data for June and October) and the annual number of nest boxes with evidence of nests/animals were compared between the two groups. Results after two years indicated a higher abundance of dormice and higher nest boxes use in the boar free sites though the diff erence was not statistically signifi cant. The paper analyses a larger dataset and dis-cusses the implications of boar spreading throughout Eng-land in the future.

HAVE WILD BOAR SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED ON HAZEL DORMOUSE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS) POPULATIONS IN THE UK?C. Rozyska, J. Lim1, R. Trout2 & S. Brooks3 (United Kingdom)[email protected] [email protected]@wkwt.org.uk

39

ABSTRACTS

A population of edible dormice (Glis Glis) has been mon-itored regularly for more than 15 years. Groups of animals are often found sharing the same nest box. The com-position of these groups has been investigated where animals are known individually through the use of im-planted identity markers, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags. It is hypothesised that these dormice form family groups consisting of females and their young from a previous year. If a strong ‘social bond’ exists among family groups, then how do they recognize each other?

Social cohesion may explain why these animals are sometimes found hibernating communally, but also has implications regarding survival of juveniles when they need to begin hibernating. It may also explain why some nest boxes (and houses) are frequently occupied whilst others nearby are not. The implications of this analysis may be important when considering practical conser-vation measures and perhaps methods of control where the edible dormouse has become a ‘problem animal’.

EVIDENCE FOR SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN GLIS GLIS AND ITS POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANCEP. Morris & M. Morris (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

40

ABSTRACTS

Until recently, nothing was known about the socio-spatial organization of the African woodland dormouse (Graphiu-rus murinus). Preliminary data from trapping and nest box monitoring of free-living individuals indicates that females can have overlapping home ranges and breed commu-nally. Males also have overlapping home ranges and can share nest boxes, especially during the mating season. The study aimed to investigate some of these aspects in greater detail to propose a model of sociality for the spe-cies. Spatial and social behaviour data was collected from 2010-2014 using a combination of capture-mark-recapture and telemetry in a free-living population, and behavioural experiments in captivity. Staged dyadic encounters were employed to investigate social interactions in diff erent tem-poral, spatial and ambient temperature contexts, focussing

on same-sex individuals. Patterns of tolerance and aggres-siveness within the sexes were determined. Using trapping and radio-tracking data, further studies plan to investigate the social structure of the selected population through the application of social network analysis. The studies will in-vestigate patterns of individual associations, and observe how external ecological processes, such as seasonal varia-tion in rainfall and temperature, may aff ect the structure of the networks.

Keywords: woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus, sociality, social network, social interactions, association patterns, capture-mark-recapture, radio-tracking, labora-tory experiments

SOCIALITY IN THE AFRICAN WOODLAND DORMOUSE GRAPHIURUS MURINUS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS AND FUTURE STUDIESK. Madikiza (South Africa)

[email protected]

41

ABSTRACTS

We investigated whether woodland dormice Graphiurus murinus positively select or avoid specifi c microhabitat characteristics or structures. Additionally we investigated whether a set of predictor variables, related to microhab-itat characteristics, can explain the presence and rates of visits to specifi c trapping stations. Trapping was conducted between June 2011 and May 2012 at the Great Fish River Reserve (Eastern Cape, South Africa). A grid of 96 stations (16 rows × 6 lines), with pairs of Sherman traps placed at 10 m intervals, was set seasonally over 5 nights. The 192 traps were distributed equally among four height categories (on the ground, <1 m, <1.5 m and <2.5 m). On average, trapping success was 4.70 ± 4.17 dormice per 100 traps. Dormice were trapped at an average height of 136 ± 64 cm, which

was signifi cantly higher than the average height at which traps were set (99 ± 75 cm). Bonferroni Z tests indicated that dormice positively selected areas with high canopy cover and connectivity, and avoided bushes. Generalized linear models showed that trap use, numbers of visits and diff er-ent animals caught were positively associated with high arboreal connectivity, hence confi rming the hypothesis that woodland dormice depend on woodland ‘corridors’ for their movements.

Keywords: woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus, microhabitat selection, trapping, canopy cover, arboreal connections

MICROHABITAT SELECTION OF THE WOODLAND DORMOUSE GRAPHIURUS MURINUS IN A RIVERINE COMBRETUM THICKETE. Do Linh San1, S. Lamani & K. Madikiza2 (South Africa)[email protected]@gmail.com

42

ABSTRACTS

The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) was set up in 1988 to look at the long term population trends of hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in Britain. Now in its 25th year and with over 85,000 records of dormice, the data in the NDMP can be used to look at a number of factors including: hibernal survival, sex dif-ferentiation, litter size, young mortality, summer mortality and breeding success. The data is collected by voluntary

monitors and does not use marked dormice. However the size of the dataset does allow for an investigation into dormouse ecology and life history at the population level. This presentation will compare data from the NDMP with studies undertaken on a marked population of dormice to investigate the life history of the species.

Keywords: hazel dormice; NDMP; life history

HAZEL DORMOUSE LIFE HISTORY FROM THE NDMPI. White (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

43

ABSTRACTS

In order to secure populations from extinction, managers should be able to make decisions in the light of known conditional extinction probabilities of current populations under diff erent management scenarios (e.g. fragmen-tation or alterations to habitats). We present a spatially explicit individual-based population model for dormouse using ALMaSS, an agent-based simulation system for modelling management impacts on wildlife. Pattern-ori-ented approaches were used to test the model’s ability to simulate patterns of distribution, density and age structure against data from the literature. The ALMaSS framework is highly customizable and can be extended to allow testing of diff erent scenarios e.g. relating to specifi c management strategies or changes in landscape structure which could

aff ect the viability of dormice populations. We applied the model to estimate population viability for several of the Danish dormouse populations using a realistic scenario for current landscape structure and connectivity. The process of model construction identifi ed crucial knowledge gaps for the Danish dormouse population, such as good esti-mates of the population size for each of the populations as well as missing information relating to the distribution and quality of suitable habitat. These gaps indicate directions for future empirical work needed to improve the accuracy of model predictions.

Keywords: individual-based models, agent-based models, population viability, ALMaSS

AN AGENT-BASED MODEL FOR COMMON DORMOUSE MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS AND THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM CONSTRUCTING ITL. Dalby1, P. Sunde2, M. Elmeros3 & C. J. Topping4 (Denmark)[email protected]@[email protected]@dmu.dk

44

ABSTRACTS

Briddlesford Nature Reserve on the Isle of Wight in South-ern England is owned by the People’s Trust for Endan-gered Species (PTES) and is managed for red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), bats (Chiroptera) and hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius). Briddlesford has over 560 dormouse boxes set up in two monitoring sites and data has been collected since 1990. More recently additional dormouse boxes have been set up in the woodland to provide training opportunities for people wishing to work

with dormice. The reserve is managed with a focus on its unique mammal fauna and the variety of practical work undertaken to accommodate the mammal fauna will be discussed. We have obtained a good knowledge of how dormice react to the management practices undertaken. A comparison of the dormouse data from the reserve compared to the national dataset will be presented.

Keywords: hazel dormice, PTES, woodland management

DORMICE AT BRIDDLESFORD NATURE RESERVEN. Al-Fulaij (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

45

ABSTRACTS

Edible dormice (Glis Glis) have spread c. 50 km from the site at Tring, west of London where they escaped from captivity about 100 years ago. Their distribution has, how-ever, remained largely confi ned to the Wooded Chilterns area of c. 1000 sq miles, bordered by three motorways and the steep escarpment onto the open Oxford clay landscape. Recent data on distribution has used local authority records of requests for Glis control in properties where nuisance and damage was reported. Now, volun-tary self-selecting surveys have been added to update the information on distribution. Additionally, for the fi rst time anywhere within the global Glis range we collected hard

information on the types of damage and nuisance caused by Glis present in buildings. Two surveys a few years apart provided similar results regarding the types of buildings in-fested, the location of animals within the buildings and the types of damage caused. Attics within the roof, garages, ceilings, walls and kitchens are the most infested locations. Most frequently reported was damage to electrical wiring, pipes and water tanks, structural damage (holes within the building) and damage to clothing. The results are dis-cussed together with information from a complete survey

of all properties within a housing development.

SURVEYS OF DAMAGE BY EDIBLE DORMICE (GLIS GLIS) IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN ENGLANDA. Mogg1 & R. Trout2 (United Kingdom)[email protected]@hotmail.co.uk

46

ABSTRACTS

The range of the hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) in the UK has declined by half due to habitat loss, frag-mentation and deterioration. 20 reintroductions have been carried out since 1993 using captive bred dormice to restore the range. There are currently 10 dormouse ‘breeders’; private individuals, zoological institutions and educational organisations, co-ordinated by the Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group. Breeding stock is sourced from un-derweight autumn young or occasionally adults taken from the wild under licence, and orphaned or injured animals brought to rescue centres by the general public. A national studbook records bloodlines to minimise inbreeding.

A range of enclosure designs are used and the dormice are fed on a mixture of commercial pet food, exotic fruit and native fl owers, nuts and berries. Each pair is allowed to pro-duce 1-3 litters during the breeding season. Some pairs fail to produce young in the fi rst year. They overwinter as family or sibling groups. The following spring dormice may be woken early from hibernation to enable health screening before re-lease. Usually dormice are released within one year of birth. On average 40-50 dormice are bred each year.

Keywords: breeding stock, husbandry, studbook, blood-lines, enclosure design, health screening, environmental enrichment

CAPTIVE BREEDING OF THE HAZEL DORMOUSE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS) IN THE UKH. Ryan (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

47

ABSTRACTS

The common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) fi gures on the Flemish Red List as critically endangered. There-fore our aim is to obtain more information on population parameters and habitat use in order to improve protection measures. In order to capture a large proportion of the population and recapture individuals often enough to draw conclusions, we limited our study area in 2013 to 2 sites of diff erent habitat quality: a railroad verge (10 ha) existing almost completely of edge habitat, and a forest (14 ha) existing mainly of large trees and a small amount of suitable edges and connected hedgerows. In the forest habitat improvement measures are carried out and along the railroad, regular maintenance takes place, which makes it possible to examine the eff ect of these actions

on the dormouse population. Dormice were captured, marked with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and recaptured during fortnightly checks of nest boxes (6 with automatic readers) and nest tubes and live-trapping sessions. An effi cient live-trap method was developed and some animals were radio-tracked. The results of this popu-lation study were compared with the results of the autum-nal searches for natural nests, the monitoring method used for all Flemish dormouse populations. Preliminary results are presented.

Keywords: common dormouse, protection measures, CMR, monitoring

THE COMMON DORMOUSE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS) IN FLANDERS (BELGIUM): COMPARING METHODS TO STUDY AND MONITOR THE POPULATIONS IN TWO DIFFERENT SITESG. Verbeylen (Belgium)[email protected]

48

ABSTRACTS

A very large number of forests have been divided by roads and railroad tracks in Japan and various parts of the world, which has made it diffi cult for wild animals to move, reproduce or secure food. Starting with building the dormouse bridge in 1998, we have been researching and developing ‘animal pathways’ (hereafter ‘pathway’) since 2004 that function similarly to the dormouse bridge but at a lower cost.

We built the fi rst pathway on a city road in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, in 2007 and the second pathway in 2010. Minato reported on the results of monitoring of the pathways at the Dormouse Association meeting in 2011. We built the third pathway in Tochigi Prefecture in

2011. Japanese dormice (Glirulus japonicas) and Eurasian fl ying squirrels (Pteromys volans) were observed using the pathways. Observations provided evidence for the use of pathways by most arboreal mammals in Japan. We established a general incorporated association in 2012 to promote the pathways in the long term (sustainable popu-larization). We built the fourth pathway in Aichi Prefecture in April 2013 and held a symposium on the pathway in December 2013 to call on various parties including gov-ernment organizations to promote the pathway.

Keywords: protection, conservation, arboreal, populariza-tion, animal pathway

REPORT ON ACTIVITIES FOR ANIMAL PATHWAYS AND THEIR POPULARIZATIONH. Aiba1, M. Iwabuchi2, Y. Satoh, K. Ootake, K. Iwamoto, S. Oda, H. Komatsu, H. Kobayashi, S. Hosaka, P.A. Morris3 & S. Minato4 (Japan/United Kingdom)[email protected]@[email protected]@kwansei.ac.jp

49

ABSTRACTS

The hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is legally protected throughout Europe. The law prohibits the killing, injuring or disturbing of these animals or their breeding sites and resting places deliberately or recklessly. During necessary building projects killing of dormice present at the development sites cannot always be avoided. In such cases there is a need to translocate dormice from one site to another.

Hazel dormice were captured in special nest boxes at three diff erent study sites in Germany. We describe the number of nest boxes used in a specifi c area, the number of individuals caught in specifi c habitats and the time of the year.

Up to 30 nest boxes per hectare were used to capture dor-mice. Capture success diff ered throughout the year and between habitats and sites. On a small spatial scale dor-mice were captured in very high densities. Based on our experiences we recommend some best practice guide-lines for future translocations.

Keywords: translocation, Muscardinus avellanarius, mitiga-tion measures

MOVING HAZEL DORMICE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS): HOW TO AND HOW MANY?J. Lang1, S. Büchner2, M. Dietz, A. Möller & K. Rüth3 (Germany)[email protected]@gmx.net [email protected]

50

ABSTRACTS

In the geographical region Lower Rhine Basin (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), 277 hazel dormice were translocated in 2013 from an old-growth deciduous forest to a recultivated forest. The recultivated forest had been planted with trees and shrubs nearly 10 years previously and was at that time uninhabited by dormice. This trans-location was part of mitigation measures in the context of clearcutting after surface mining. Nest boxes were placed in the original forest and checked from May until October. Hazel dormice discovered were individually marked and released at the new site inside their nest boxes. Additional nest boxes (2-3) were placed in the surrounding area of each translocated individual. During a fi rst check per-formed 1-2 weeks after translocation, more than half of

the hazel dormice (24/42) were found inside the original nest boxes or nearby (average 49 m ±104 SD distance between release and recapture nest box). Their weight had increased on average by 1.9 g (±1.6 SD) during this time. We found evidence for successful reproduction at the new site within the year of translocation. The density of hazel dormouse in May 2014 was 3.3 individuals per hec-tare (Ind./ha) at the new site (based on a nest box data), corresponding to the original density of 3.8 Ind./ha in 2013 (based on the number of released animals in 2013). Trans-location and monitoring will continued in 2014.

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, translocation

ESTABLISHMENT OF TRANSLOCATED HAZEL DORMICE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS) IN NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA (GERMANY)K. Rüth1, A. Krannich, J. Lang2, C. Morkel & M. Dietz (Germany)[email protected]@tieroekologie.comwww.tieroekologie.com

51

ABSTRACTS

In 1982 I dreamed of setting up a captive breeding unit for indigenous British animals, including the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), and reintroducing them into safe selected habitats. In 1993 the fi rst wild dormice were trapped and a breeding programme was established. Within ten years numbers had increased to 97 dormice. During the captive breeding program a number of ob-servations were made. Dormice initially freeze (become motionless) when danger is sensed. Dormice display unsocial behaviour when feeding, although they will on occasion share a nestbox. Females come into oestrus approximately every 10 days and pre-mating chasing oc-curs. Young are born ca. 30 days after mating and emerge from the nest ca. 30 days after birth and both early and late summer litters are common. In the spring and autumn young are vulnerable to changes in air temperature.

In 1992, together with a number of researchers and stu-dents, (Martin Hicks, Dr. John Lewis, Professor John Gur-nell, Julian Ford-Robertson and his students, and Steve Whitbred) the fi rst reintroductions of captive bred dormice were carried out at Hailey Wood, Hertfordshire and in 1993 additional dormice were released. In 2010, 18 years later, signs of dormice were found again in Hailey Wood. In 1994 the breeding unit joined with the Corporation of London at Burnham Beeches. In 1995 the Common Dor-mouse Captive Breeders Group (CDCBG) was formed and dormice were donated annually for reintroduction. In 2000 the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) took over and the project fl ourished.

Keywords: captive breeding, reintroduction

THE DORMOUSE PROJECT IN ENGLAND 1982-1994 - THE BEGINNING Dot Eaton (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

52

ABSTRACTS

The common dormouse shows a scattered distribution in Northern Germany and Denmark, where local popula-tions are often small and isolated and thus threatened by extinction. As natural resettlement processes are virtually impossible, there is an urgent need for a conservation pro-ject to safeguard the last known population on the Dan-ish-German peninsula north of Kiel Canal.

But what is the best way to do it – what must be taken into account? Using the EU-INTERREG funded project (2010-2013) in the Danish-German border region as an example we describe our method of practical dormouse conservation.

• All potential stakeholders were involved through estab-lishing cooperation on both sides of the border Intensive monitoring was carried out:

• At the local level using habitat and population analysis

• At the regional level using genetic surveying

• The inter-population landscape was analysed:

• At the local level using on-site surveys and aerial photo interpretation

• At the regional level using a GIS-habitat model

• Habitats were improved and connections were estab-lished between habitats

• A future action plan was developed

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, practical conserva-tion, INTERREG, EU, Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein, resettle-ment, genetics

HOW TO BE RESCUED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – THE ATTEMPT TO SAFEGUARD EXTREMELY ISOLATED COMMON DORMOUSE POPULATIONSB. Schulz1, M. Krog2, S. Ehlers3, H. Vilhelmsen4 & M. Reimers (Germany/Denmark)[email protected]@[email protected]@hasselmusen.dk

53

ABSTRACTS

Since the start of the National Dormouse Monitoring Pro-gramme (NDMP) in 1990 volunteers have been heavily involved in hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) conservation work in Britain. Now with 380 NDMP sites in England and Wales coordinated by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), there are over 1500 volun-teers checking dormouse nest boxes over the breeding season annually, contributing to a wealth of data on the hazel dormouse and informing the current UK conser-vation programme. Volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and have a diverse skills base: they not only collect data for conservation purposes, but also help the

dormouse cause though less direct eff orts such as rais-ing public awareness and assisting land managers with practical work to benefi t dormice. Many counties have a Dormouse Group and the various means by which groups and PTES support, value and thank individual volunteers are important factors in recruiting and retaining those who dedicate time and eff ort to hazel dormouse conservation in the UK. Without the contribution of volunteers the future of this enigmatic and engaging species in Britain would be in serious doubt.

Keywords: NDMP; Hazel Dormouse; Volunteers; PTES

DOING OUR BIT FOR DORMICE – VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT IN UK DORMOUSE CONSERVATIOND. White (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

POSTERS

55

POSTERS

In the territory of Ukraine there are four European species of dormice: common (Muscardinus avellanarius), edible (Glis Glis), forest (Dryomys nitedula) and garden (Eliomys quercinus). The four species are vulnerable across the entire territory, however only the garden dormouse is included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. In Ukraine dormice are a completely unknown species among the general public and less than 5 % of students outside the biological sciences are aware of dormice.

This project combined ecological research on dormice with environmental education and awareness. Nest boxes and nest tubes were constructed and set up as part of the project entitled “House for dormouse”. The project ran from 2007-2012 in the national and regional parks in

the Khmelnitski, Chernigiv, Lviv and Volyn regions. Em-ployees of the parks and universities, numerous students and pupils and volunteers with the American Chamber of Commerce took part in the project. About 140 nest boxes and 200 nest tubes were set up in the forests which were used by the common, edible and forest dormouse. Important ecological information was collected during the project and many people are now aware of dormice ecology and threats to their survival. Additionally in 2013 the Ukrainian Theriological Society announced the Year of the Dormouse. The poster “Dormice and people” has been prepared and distributed.

Keywords: ecological action, dormice

DORMICE AND PEOPLE: UKRAINIAN ASPECTH. Zaytseva-Anciferova (Ukraine)

[email protected]

56

POSTERS

Roads are commonly regarded as major barriers for most fl ightless species, especially for the hazel dormouse (Mus-cardinus avellanarius). Only recently single studies have provided proof, that dormice can cross roads. However, it is still unknown how often and under what circumstances successful road crossing takes place. This knowledge is essential for target-oriented actions plans on the one hand and for environmental impact assessment on the other.

Two diff erent approaches were employed to gather infor-mation about the frequency and circumstances of road crossings. Direct observations of movements via roads were carried out with small-scaled mark-recapture studies at a highway-exit-system. At this site, 250 nest tubes were checked twice a week from May to October. Large scale

indirect observations, using genetic studies, investigated the gene-fl ow between dormouse populations on either side of motorways.

Along some motorways in the investigation site there are continuous shrubs steadily populated by dormice. Con-tinuous habitat lines, especially when newly established, could function as eff ective habitat corridors and enable colonization over longer distances. Genetic studies were carried out on such situations with comparisons to the surrounding areas to determine if, during the past, coloni-zation took place along roadside shrubs.

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, roads, fragmentation, migration, Schleswig-Holstein

STUDIES ON HAZEL DORMOUSE ALONG MOTORWAYS: FIRST INSIGHTS INTO THE CORRIDOR EFFECT OF ROADSIDE SHRUBS, THE BARRIER EFFECT OF ROADS AND CROSS-ROAD MOVEMENTS K. Friebe1, A. Lange, J. Kelm, T. Steff ens2, B. Schulz3, G. B. Hartl & H. Reck (Germany)[email protected] [email protected]@sn-sh.de

57

POSTERS

Based on observations in captivity, seven diff erent sounds produced by edible dormice (Glis Glis) were identifi ed. The sounds identifi ed were: 1) loud calls, emitted singly or in series, so called ‘performances’, by both males and females, 2) rattle, observed together with aggressive behaviour in both sexes, as a warning before aggressive actions, 3) growls, observed during nest box disturbances, 4) silent squeak or peep, produced by both sexes when entering a nest box occupied by another individual, 5) singing, characteristic of males during the mating season,

6) high pitched whistle, produced by aggressive females and 7) whirring, observed rarely and not well known. In captivity the majority of loud calls, the only sounds com-monly heard in forests, were produced by individuals with the highest number of bouts of aggressive behaviour. This indicates a link between loud calls and the position occupied in the social hierarchy established by captive dormice.

Keywords: vocalization, aggressive behaviour, mating

THE SOUND REPERTOIRE OF THE EDIBLE DORMOUSE GLIS GLISM. Jurczyszyn & A. Wolińska (Poland)

58

POSTERS

As a follow up to authorized actions such as road con-struction and surface mining, tree felling is frequently unavoidable. To avoid deliberate or reckless disturbance, injury or killing of legally protected animals tree cavities are mapped and checked prior to felling in late autumn. To monitor tree cavities, the trees are climbed using ropes and a specially designed endoscopic camera is used. In addition to bats, tree dwelling hazel dormouse (Mus-cardinus avellanarius) and edible dormice (Glis Glis) were observed.

In an old-growth deciduous forest in eastern Germany we documented the hazel dormouse in four out of 182 monitored cavities. The latest records were from the middle of November. The nests made from grass, or a

combination of grass and leaves, were located within woodpecker holes and broken branch cavities from 4 m to 20 m in height. The earliest record of a hazel dor-mouse was found in a nest of leaves in a cavity in a small beech at 1.5 m height. Some of the recorded individuals were in torpor.

Edible dormice were found in cavities of beech, ash and oak trees up to 15 m in height. In one tree a female with new-born young was found in a woodpecker hole that was frequently used as nursery tree by tree-dwelling bechstein s bat (Myotis bechsteinii).

Keywords: Muscardinus avellanarius, Glis Glis, tree cavities, endoscope

RECORDS OF TREE-DWELLING DORMICE MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS AND GLIS GLIS IN GERMANYA. Krannich, K. Rüth1, A. Weiß & M. Dietz [email protected]

59

POSTERS

Estimation of the size and density of wildlife populations is very important for the conservation of protected species. The density of common dormouse (Muscardinus avella-narius) populations is usually estimated using nest box checks. However in areas where three species of dormice coexist, this method may underestimate the common dormouse density due to interspecifi c competition with the other two species. Common dormouse density was investigated using a grid of 49 wooden live traps set 20 m apart, resulting in 147 trap nights. Capture data was analyzed using both spatially explicit capture-recapture

(SECR) and a non-spatial method, using the program CAPTURE combined with an ad hoc estimation of the eff ective trapping area (ETA) to estimate density. The non-spatial analysis resulted in higher density estimates than SECR (10,71 individuals per hectare; ind/ha) when using no boundary strip (25.69 ind/ha) or a boundary strip with W=MMDM/2 (15 ind/ha) but produced comparative results when using W=MMDM (9.9 ind/ha).

Keywords: common dormouse, density, SECR

ESTIMATION OF MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS POPULATION DENSITY BY LIVE-TRAPPINGE. Sevianu

[email protected]

60

POSTERS

Floods signifi cantly aff ect populations of several mammal species. Even species with extraordinary climbing abilities like the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) may be aff ected. In south-western Germany, we investigated the spatial distribution of the hazel dormouse depending on the fl ood regime. We set up a total of 570 nest tubes at 57 sample sites covering non-fl ooded, irregularly fl ooded and regularly fl ooded habitats.

We found evidence of hazel dormouse occurrence (hazel dormice and/or nests) in 34 nest tubes at 20 sample sites. The spatial distribution of the hazel dormouse population refl ects the gradient from regularly fl ooded to non-fl ooded habitats. The majority of the hazel dormouse evidence was

found in permanently non-fl ooded habitats, where we pre-sume a vital population covering all suitable habitats. As to be expected, the study indicates that the hazel dormouse is unable to establish stable populations in regularly fl ooded habitats and that these habitats act as sink habitats.

Consequently, the restoration of fl oodplain forests cur-rently colonised by hazel dormice comes into confl ict with species conservation. To mediate between fl oodplain restoration and species conservation we propose a co-herent conservation of non-fl ooded dormouse habitats along with the fl oodplain forests to conserve vital hazel dormouse populations and habitat connectivity.

THE HAZEL DORMOUSE (MUSCARDINUS AVELLANARIUS) IN RIPARIAN FORESTS – WHEN FLOODPLAIN RESTORATION COMES INTO CONFLICT WITH SPECIES CONSERVATION C. Steck1, S. Bauer2 & D. Schindler3 (Germany)[email protected]@frinat.de [email protected]

61

POSTERS

We explored the phylogeography of four dormice species: forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula, common dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius, garden dormouse Eliomys quer-cinus and fat dormouse Glis Glis based on cytochrome B gene (cytb), 12S, IRBP data. 29 samples were obtained from Central Russia and Belarus. New primers were de-signed and phylogenetic analysis was based on NJ, MP, ML, BI methods.

Analysis of phylogeny allowed us to include samples of the E. quercinus to the Western European clade, M. avellanarius to the Central and Northern Europe clade and G. Glis – to the European clade. Dryomys and Eliomys are combined into a clade on three genes. Muscardinus and Glis are united into a clade sibling to Dryomys +

Eliomys in cytb and 12S topologies. In IRBP topology Mus-cardinus is an outgroup for Dryomys + Eliomys and Glis is the outgroup tor these three species. Thus, the relationship between the subfamily remains ambiguous.

Our results show that the Eocene-Oligocene boundary was the likely time of extant subfamilies diversifi cation and the Oligocene-Miocene boundary was the time of Mus-cardinus separation. After a warm period there was a new drop in temperature in the Middle Miocene. Obviously, Eliomys and Dryomys diverged at this time. The research was supported by RFBR Grant 12-04-32035-mol_a and a Grant of the President of RF MK-3755.2014.4.

Keywords: phylogeography, dormice

PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF EASTERN EUROPE DORMICEO. Grigoryeva1 & V.N. Orlov (Russia)[email protected]

62

POSTERS

Article 11 of the EU Habitats Directive requires monitoring of the species listed in Annexes II, IV and V. The European member states were required to report on the conserva-tion status of the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avella-narius) in 2006 and again in 2012. For the last report the knowledge of the range and status of the hazel dormouse in Germany was very poor. The 16 federal states have very diff erent approaches to fulfi lling the necessary monitoring requirements. A summary of the methods used across the federal states is presented along with the results obtained for both reporting periods. After the development of stan-

dard monitoring guidelines in 2010, data on the hazel dor-mouse was gathered at 63 diff erent sites in Germany for the 2012 report. The federal state of Hesse has gathered data on the hazel dormouse from up to 34 sites from 2006 onwards. Using the Hesse dataset we can show that the standard monitoring guidelines have some serious draw-backs. Therefore we suggest adjustments to the monitor-ing program to overcome these problems.

Keywords: Habitats Directive, Muscardinus avellanarius, monitoring

HOW GERMANY IS MONITORING THE HAZEL DORMOUSE FOR THE EU HABITATS DIRECTIVE?S. Büchner1 & J. Lang2 (Germany)[email protected] [email protected]

63

POSTERS

In the 1980s it was determined that hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) had become extinct in Britain from approximately half of the range that they had been known to occupy a century earlier. As a result of this, a decision was made to attempt to reintroduce the species to areas where they were considered poorly represented or had recently become absent. The fi rst reintroduction took place in 1993 and there have been a further 19 to date. In 2012 a report was commissioned to investigate

the success of the reintroduction programme and to con-sider how it might be progressed in the future. This poster outlines the rationale of the programme, the methodology employed to undertake a reintroduction in Britain and considers the success of the programme. Finally the future of the programme will be discussed.

Keywords: hazel dormice; UK; reintroductions

DORMOUSE REINTRODUCTIONS IN THE UKI. White (United Kingdom)

[email protected]

64

POSTERS

In Bulgaria, outside the natural forest ecosystems, the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula Pall., 1779) populates appropriate lowland biotopes, associated mainly with artifi cially cultivated stands of trees, such as shelter forest belts. Under natural conditions in this habitat the popula-tion demographic investigations showed that the age and general sexual population structure of the forest dormouse is well balanced. The sexual-age population structure in the studied four age groups corresponded to the natural lifespan of the species. This confi rmed the presence of a good reproductive population structure.

A relative population number of 0.175 individuals per 100 trap/days was obtained. This indicated that the forest dor-mouse could be classifi ed as a ‘rare species’ among the small mammal fauna of the agro ecosystem in north-eastern Bulgaria. These fi ndings indicate that the species has fi rmly occupied this new man-made ecological niche in the shelter forest belts.

The forest shelter belt population was compared with four other populations, three of them located on the mountain system Stara Planina, Vitosha Mountain and the mountain territories of south-eastern Bulgaria, and one originating from the hill woodlands of North-eastern Bulgaria. Results indicated that the forest shelter belt population revealed well-expressed cranial epigenetic uniqueness and diff erentiation. Thus the micro geo-graphic epigenetic fragmentation of the forest dormouse in Bulgaria is presented.

Keywords: forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula, epigenetic polymorphism, population diff erentiation, forest shelter belt, craniometrical variability, sexual dimorphism

FOREST DORMOUSE (DRYOMYS NITEDULA PALL., 1779) IN A NEW FOREST SHELTER BELT IN BULGARIA: DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE, CRANIAL EPIGENETIC FEATURES AND POPULATION DETACHMENTG. Markov (Bulgaria)

[email protected]

65

POSTERS

While most mammal populations show equalized sex ratios in their off spring, some species reveal deviations as a reaction to environmental circumstances. The re-cent study focuses on mortality, dispersal and biased sex ratio in the off spring of the edible dormouse (Glis Glis) and their infl uence on the following year’s sub adult population. The data used for this study was obtained from a mark-recapture project situated 70 km north-east of Frankfurt/Main, Germany, monitoring the population biology of the edible dormouse. From 2002 to 2008 all

dormice found in nest boxes were captured, marked with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and monitored throughout the whole activity period carrying out daily checks using a scanner to minimize disturbance. The study area contains 94 nest boxes spread over 5.6 ha in mixed deciduous woodland with oak (Quercus sp.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) as well as common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and a well-developed herb layer.

Keywords: sex ratio, mortality, dispersal

INFLUENCE OF BIRTH RATES, MORTALITY AND DISPERSAL ON SEX RATIO OF THE EDIBLE DORMICE (GLIS GLIS)B. Koppmann-Rumpf1, K.H. Schmidt & C. Scherbaum-Heberer2 (Germany)[email protected] [email protected]

66

POSTERS

Estimating population sizes in rare and elusive species such as the common dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) can be challenging as several parts of their life history may be diffi cult to observe in the fi eld or during monitoring sessions. In a study of this nature it is assumed that not all individuals in a population are captured, however Bayesian statistics can tackle this problem, to predict species distributions. We compared Bayesian methods to a traditional model, the Jolly-Seber model. Bayesian analysis allows us to specify the appropriate prior proba-bilities for diff erent parameters to link these to population sizes, providing more accurate and reliable parameter estimates, improving statistical power. In contrast, con-ventional methods are forced to ignore any relevant in-

formation other than that obtained in the data collected. Analysis of CMR data was conducted using an integrated population model which allows the unifi ed analysis of population count and demographic data. This method allows us to provide more accessible and repeatable results. We calculated population vital rates, population viability and estimated survival rates to identify whether populations act as sources or sinks. This allowed us to reli-ably estimate population sizes and aid in the conservation management of this elusive species.

Keywords: CMR, Bayesian, IPM, non-invasive sampling, population size

POPULATION VIABILITY ANALYSIS IN MONITORED HAZEL DORMOUSE POPULATIONS USING CAPTURE-MARK-RECAPTURE DATA

F. J. Combe1, J. Ellis, S. Bird2 & E. Harris3 (United Kingdom)[email protected]@[email protected]

67

POSTERS

We investigated the activity patterns of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus in a riverine Combretum forest at the Great Fish River Reserve (Eastern Cape, South Africa). This short study took place in spring (November) 2013 and was planned to serve as a foundation for a longer-term project. Overall, 9 dormice (5 males, 4 fe-males) were fi tted with radio-collars. However, only 5 (1 male and 4 females) could be tracked, for three days and three nights each, such that a total of 1,793 activity fi xes were collected. Dormice spent 51 % of their time active overall; they were active 65 % of the time during the night and 39 % during the day. There was a clear peak in their daily activity between 20:00 and 21:00, and dormice were

least active between 05:00 and 12:00. Weather conditions (general weather, temperature, wind and soil conditions) were also recorded and their potential infl uence on ac-tivity levels was assessed. However, a generalized linear model indicated that weather had no signifi cant eff ect on the nocturnal activity of the woodland dormouse. Additional data collected throughout the year would be needed to fully evaluate the eff ect of whether on dormice activity patterns.

Keywords: woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus, activity profi le, daily activity budget, radio-telemetry, radio-collars, weather conditions.

ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF THE WOODLAND DORMOUSE GRAPHIURUS MURINUS: A PILOT STUDYM. Lombard1, K. Madikiza2 & E. Do Linh San3 (South Africa)[email protected] [email protected]@gmail.com

68

POSTERS

The diet of the woodland dormouse Graphiurus murinus was studied in a riverine Combretum forest at the Great Fish River Reserve (Eastern Cape, South Africa). Food remains were collected seasonally from a maximum of 33 diff erent nest boxes between December 2010 and November 2011. An overall mean of 1.32 ± 0.51 food cat-egories (range 1-4) were identifi ed in each nest box used as a larder during the year. Dietary diversity and standard-ized diet breadth were low to intermediate, with a peak in summer and a nadir in winter. In terms of percentage oc-currence, arthropods were dominant (99 %) in all seasons, followed by molluscs (16 %) and fruit (14 %). When relative percentage occurrence and percentage weight were

considered, arthropods were still dominant, but a slight decrease was observed in summer. Ten arthropod families were found in the diet of the woodland dormouse; Tenebrionidae (40 %), Spirostreptidae (30 %), Carabidae (15 %) and Blattidae (14 %) were the most dominant fami-lies. Grewia occidentalis (21 %) and Ziziphus mucronata (54 %) were the only fruit species present in the diet. Pianka’s diet overlap indices were very high (>0.81), indi-cating that the diet of the woodland dormouse was similar between pairs of seasons.

Keywords: woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus, diet, food remains, arthropods, molluscs, fruit, nest boxes

DIET OF THE WOODLAND DORMOUSE GRAPHIURUS MURINUS AS ASSESSED FROM FOOD REMAINS IN NEST BOXESK. Madikiza1, S. Lamani & E. Do Linh San2 (South Africa)[email protected]@gmail.com

69

POSTERS

The common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a very cryptic inhabitant of shrubby woodland and hedge-rows. This protected species is classifi ed as endangered in many European countries. To enforce its legal protection and to ensure the success of conservation projects, current data on the occurrence of the common dormouse is very important. For the revision of the Red List of Endangered Mammals in Switzerland, researchers Simon Capt and Paul Marchesi successfully used wooden tracking tubes to detect dormice. In this study tracking tubes were designed out of Tetra Pak and tested against the wooden tracking tubes. The presence of common dormice could be de-

tected with similar success with Tetra Pak tracking tubes as with the proven wooden tracking tubes. Tetra Pak tracking tubes are small, light, cheap and easily built out of waste products. Therefore, tracking tubes can be put up in large numbers and in high densities in the fi eld. This reduces the study time necessary to record the fi rst dormouse. Tetra Pak tracking tubes can be used successfully and effi ciently by school classes, members of conservation associations or other interested individuals.

Keywords: tracking tube, Tetra Pak, survey method, dor-mouse

TETRA PAK TRACKING TUBES TO DETECT DORMICEL. Haag1 and R. Tester2 (Switzerland)[email protected]@sunrise.ch

LaLaLaLLaL yoyoyoyoyyoyoututtuuttuTinTiTinTT nana ChrChrChrististi ensensensnnsen,nen,nenen,en,,e AaAaAaAaAAaAAAAAAAaaAarhus Universsitytyyi

PhPhPhPhPhhotttotototo osososossososososKarKarrrstestestestestettetstetesteeeeesten Hn Hn Hnnnnnnn viiviivi ddddd,dddd PetPetPetPePetPetPetPetPePeetPeePP eeerer ree LetLe h aandndJacacobbobb AlAlsAlsAlstedtedtedteteteteteeeedddd.

FoFFoF ototprp inntt loogogSinSina Ea EEa Ehhlers

PublisishheeerrrAaAarhusus UUnUniveversrrsiirs tyt

CCCiCiiCCCCiCiCCircrcrcrcrcrccululululu atatatata iooioonn150

PrPrininteteteddddd bybbybbbybbbybybyRoso endn ahlahlss - ScSchulhullhulhu tz ttz tzzz z GGGraGraGraGGG fisfi sfisk ak ak ak /s/s/ss

ISIISISISISISIISBBBNBNBNBBB97878-8777-9-93-93-93129129-19-19-1-1


9TH INTERNATIONALDORMOUSE CONFERENCE18 SEPTEMBER – 23 SEPTEMBER 2014SVENDBORG – DENMARK

ISBN: 978-87-93129-19-1

9th international dormouse conference · the organizing committee is happy to welcome you all to...

Documents