Climate, landscape, habitat, and woodland management associations with hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius
 population status

AbstractForest edges with diverse vegetation are an important feature of habitat preference for the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the factors predicting summer nest construction in deciduous woodland edges in Slovakia. At the same time, nest types, dimensions of nests and nest-site preference in shrubs and young trees were analysed. A total of 178 summer nests were found over the years 2010-2013 on the branches of several plant species, but mainly on Prunus spinosa, Rubus fruticosus and Carpinus betulus. The principle component analysis (PCA) in this study revealed that several factors were significant for the construction of nests in shrubby vegetation. The occurrence of four nest types (mixed, layered, foliar and grassy) with relatively large dimensions was confirmed. Botanical analysis of the leaf material in the nests confirmed that ten different plant species were incorporated into the nests. Moreover, a positive correlation was shown between the distance of the nest from the ground and from the top of the plant and the plant height. This study suggests that this micro-habitat may play an important role for suitable nesting of the hazel dormouse, as stated by several authors from the different countries and regions of its large distributional range. At the same time, data on the presence or absence of summer nests in the monitored habitat aid in the detection of species.

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They don’t live forever: How life history data and encounter probability help to assess success of Muscardinus avellanarius translocations (Rodentia: Gliridae)

Lynx, new series ◽

10.2478/lynx-2018-0002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 11-17

Author(s):

Sarah Beer ◽

Sven Büchner ◽

Johannes Lang

Keyword(s):

Survival Rates ◽

Published Data ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Development Projects ◽

Natural Mortality ◽

Translocation Event ◽

Life History Data ◽

Hazel Dormouse ◽

Suitable Measure ◽

Muscardinus Avellanarius

Abstract The hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a European Protected Species and for this reason, hazel dormice are protected from deliberate killing, injury or disturbance and its sites and resting places are also protected. During development projects impacts on hazel dormouse individuals and populations should be avoided. If avoidance is not possible measures of mitigation and compensation have to be implemented. In many cases the only suitable measure to prevent disturbance, killing or injury of individuals is the translocation of hazel dormice to another suitable habitat. The success of translocations has so far been rarely documented. To assess the success of translocations, the natural mortality of hazel dormice has to be considered as well as the likelihood of finding specific individuals during the proposed action. How these data affect the assessment of translocation success is calculated based on published data on seasonal survival rates of different cohorts and of unpublished monthly encounter probabilities of a population of marked animals. Depending on the time between the translocation event and the subsequent monitoring controls the number of hazel dormice likely to be alive can be low. For this reason, success cannot be evaluated with our method if the sample size is too small.

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Analysis of the hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, distribution in a Mediterranean fragmented woodland

Italian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1080/11250000209356434 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 25-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Dario Capizzi ◽

Martina Battistini ◽

Giovanni Amori

Keyword(s):

Hazel Dormouse ◽

Muscardinus Avellanarius

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Feeding in an unpredictable environment: yearly variations in the diet of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius

Mammal Research ◽

10.1007/s13364-016-0280-2 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 367-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rimvydas Juškaitis ◽

Laima Baltrūnaitė ◽

Neringa Kitrytė

Keyword(s):

Unpredictable Environment ◽

Hazel Dormouse ◽

Muscardinus Avellanarius

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Dorsal Surface of the Tongue of the Hazel Dormouse Muscardinus Avellanarius: Scanning Electron and Light Microscopic Studies/ Grzbietowa Powierzchnia Języka Orzesznicy Muscardinus Avellanarius: Badania Z Wykorzystaniem Mikroskopu Skaningowego I Świetlnego

Zoologica Poloniae ◽

10.2478/zoop-2014-0004 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 59 (1-4) ◽

pp. 35-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Katarzyna Wołczuk

Keyword(s):

Feeding Habits ◽

Dorsal Surface ◽

Proximal Part ◽

Middle Part ◽

Taste Buds ◽

Microscopic Studies ◽

Filiform Papillae ◽

Hazel Dormouse ◽

Muscardinus Avellanarius ◽

Scanning Electron

Abstract The dorsal surface of a hazel dormouse tongue was examined by scanning electron and light microscopy. The tongue of the hazel dormouse is elongated and widened in the proximal part. On the proximal one-third of the tongue a clear median groove is observed. The dorsal lingual surface was covered with five types of papillae: filiform, conical, fungiform, vallate and foliate. The arrangement, shape, size and direction of the filiform papillae vary depending on the region of the tongue. On the proximal part of the tongue, the filiform papillae are saw-like and tilted medioposteriorly, while on the distal part they have a fork-like shape and form a radial pattern with their processes oriented towards the center of the tongue. Fungiform papillae with single taste buds are evenly scattered on the anterior and middle part of the tongue body. On the root of the tongue, three star-like shaped vallate papillae are arranged in the form of a triangle and surrounded by conical papillae. A pair of foliate papillae are found on both edges of the posterior area of the tongue, forming three parallel folds separated by deep grooves. The dorsal surfaces of the vallate and foliate papillae are covered with hard-cornified epithelium, while the lateral surfaces have noncornified epithelium with numerous taste buds. The results of our studies show that the tongue structure of the hazel dormouse is more primitive in comparison with other rodents which is related to their phylogeny and feeding habits.

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