Small rodents in a fragmented landscape: distribution and habitat dependent demography at different spatial scales

Small rodents are regarded as the heart of many northern terrestrial food webs and their characteristic inter-annual cyclic fluctuations in densities have long been recorded (since the 1920s). Recent indication of a long-term decline in some of the most a bundant vole species in boreal ecosystems and the increased irregularity in their fluctuations have thus arisen concern. Intensified habitat fragmentation has been suggested as a cause of these changes as it can alter the species communities and assemblag es and it has increased in recent years due to intensified forestry practices. The consequences of these on the single species though, remain unclear and the response of different species, both in the prey and in the predator community, may vary depending on their specific ecology. The aim of our project is thus to investigate 1) small rodents distribution and 2) habitat dependent demography of a key-vole species, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), in a highly fragmented landscape and at different spatial scales. In addition, the study of the distribution of two small Mustelid species, one a generalist (the stoat, Mustela erminea) and one a specialist (the least weasel, Mustela nivalis nivalis) on small rodents, will complement the analyses.