Does wild boar rooting affect spatial distribution of active burrows of meadow-dwelling voles?

摘要: Soil overturn by wild boar Sus scrofa is known to affect biodiversity, from plant communities invertebrates, reptiles and small mammals. Rooting activity has been shown be particularly intensive in open areas on fallows meadows located hill or mountain tops. In these habitat types, the impact of mammal assemblies never assessed. this work, we evaluated whether rooting affected spatial distribution Savi’s pine vole Microtus savii a hilly area Central Italy, throughout four seasons. The determined through open-hole index, i.e. assessing propensity reopen tunnel entrances which previously closed with soil. intensity was highest cold months, when drive hunting may increase occurrence within protected outside wooded areas. According our GLMM, reopening burrow increased increasing distances rooted geophytic diversity. Meadow-dwelling voles living shallow underground systems seem avoid soil that they prefer creating their tunnels where diversity building up staple diet highest. Our results furtherly emphasized importance monitoring also grasslands, highest, months.