Small mammals of a forest reserve and adjacent stands of the Kelečská pahorkatina Upland (Czech Republic) and their effect on forest dynamics

Abstract

The community of small terrestrial mammals (STM) was studied on seven experimental plots characterizing forest stands in various stages of succession development and with different level of management from plantings through production/commercial stands to a forest reserve. Increased attention was paid to dominant species and their effects on the dynamics of the forest reserve. In total, eight species of STM were detected with the highest dominance and abundance of Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus. The total relative abundance of STM was significantly highest in plantings (P < 0.05). A. flavicollis was significantly most abundant in production beech stands (P < 0.05), differences in the abundance among the other STM species being insignificant. The highest diversity was also determined in plantings (P < 0.05) as typical ecotone sites. Different natural conditions of open and high forest sites were also reflected in different weight of specimens of dominant species of STM from these biotopes. In A. flavicollis, the difference was highly significant (P < 0.01) and in M. glareolus significant (P < 0.05). Both species significantly affected the forest reserve dynamics through the consumption of forest seeds, particularly of beechnuts (100% consumption of the 2007 crop). However, according to the proportion of natural regeneration from previous years, the reserve proved resistance to the impact of rodents caused by the consumption of seeds in a long-term horizon.

Keywords

• apodemus flavicollis
• forest natural regeneration
• myodes glareolus
• nature reserve
• small terrestrial mammals
• tree seed crop