Body size and habitat use of the common weasel Mustela nivalis vulgaris in Mediterranean farmlands colonised by common voles Microtus arvalis
Body size and habitat use of the common weasel Mustela nivalis vulgaris in Mediterranean farmlands colonised by common voles Microtus arvalis
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DOI：
10.1007/s13364-019-00465-y
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发表时间：
2019-11-11
期刊：
影响因子：
1.5
通讯作者：
Luque-Larena, Juan-Jose
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mougeot, Francois;Lambin, Xavier;Luque-Larena, Juan-Jose
黄鼠狼等小型鼬科动物是小型啮齿动物的高度专业化的捕食者。它们的体型较小，可以在地下捕猎猎物，但也意味着它们是“一口大小”的掠食者，会被其他较大的掠食者捕食。因此，黄鼠狼对栖息地的利用不仅取决于猎物的丰富程度，还取决于捕食风险。我们在此报告 2009 年至 2015 年在西班牙西北部集约农田捕获的普通黄鼠狼 Mustela nivalis vulgaris 的体型大小和栖息地利用情况。我们发现，无论季节如何，黄鼠狼在田野边缘的捕获率都高于其他栖息地（谷物和苜蓿田、休耕地）。所有小型哺乳动物（普通田鼠、木鼠、阿尔及利亚鼠和大白齿鼩鼱）在田野边缘的捕获率始终高于其他栖息地。每个栖息地的黄鼠狼捕获率与这些栖息地的猎物捕获率成正比（苜蓿>休耕地>谷物），但田地边缘除外，田地边缘的使用比根据猎物捕获率预期的更密集。在设有巢箱以增加当地猛禽丰度的地区，黄鼠狼捕获率降低了 37%，所有栖息地均出现这种下降，并且在校正猎物捕获率时效果显着。黄鼠狼栖息地的利用反映了猎物丰度（自下而上的控制）和捕食风险（自上而下的控制）之间的权衡，优先使用田地边缘，这不仅提供更多的猎物，而且在大部分年度作物周期中提供永久的植被覆盖和免受鸟类捕食者的保护。黄鼠狼和田鼠头部宽度的数据显示，田鼠在地下对较小的雌性黄鼠狼来说并不安全，而且洞穴入口足够宽，黄鼠狼可以在地下逃离捕食者。在西班牙西北部，普通田鼠是造成重大影响的主要农田害虫。我们讨论了当前田鼠控制措施对经常受田鼠爆发影响的地区黄鼠狼的影响。
Small mustelids such as weasels are highly specialized predators of small rodents. Their diminutive size allows hunting for prey underground, but also means that they are "bite-sized" predators, preyed upon by other larger predators. Habitat use by weasels is therefore expected to depend not only on prey abundance, but also on predation risk. We report here on the body size and habitat use of common weasels Mustela nivalis vulgaris captured in intensive farmlands of northwest Spain during 2009-2015. We show that weasels' capture rate was higher in field margins than in other habitats (cereal and alfalfa fields, fallows) irrespective of season. All small mammals (common vole, wood mouse, Algerian mouse, and greater white-toothed shrew) were consistently more frequently captured in field margins than other habitats. Weasel capture rate in each habitat was proportional to that of prey in these (alfalfa > fallows > cereal), except for field margins, which were used more intensively than expected from prey capture rate. Weasel capture rate was 37% lower in areas provided with nest boxes to increase local raptor abundance, a reduction that occurred in all habitats and was significant when correcting for prey capture rate. Weasel habitat use reflected a trade-off between prey abundance (bottom-up control) and predation risk (top-down control), with a preferential use of field margins that offer not only more prey but also permanent vegetation cover and protection from avian predators throughout most of the annual crop cycles. Weasel and vole head width data show that voles are not safe underground from smaller female weasels and that burrow entrances were wide enough for weasels to escape underground from predators. In NW Spain, common voles are a main farmland pest causing significant impacts. We discuss the implications of current vole control measures for weasels in areas recurrently affected by vole outbreaks.