Food and foraging preferences of the edible dormouse Glis glis at two sites in Poland

Abstract

Food preferences of the edible dormouse were revealed with the use of radio-tracking. Studies were conducted on two plots in July and August of two years: one year with good beech (Fagus sylvatica) mast and the second with poor beech mast. Study plots were located in Roztocze National Park (RNP) where beech constituted about 80 % of the tree stand) and in Sierakow Landscape Park (SLP) where beech formed about 30 % of the tree stand. Six individuals (three males, three females) were radio-tracked in both years on each plot. Every animal was radio-tracked during four nights by using continuous recording during which the duration of foraging on particular tree species was recorded.On both study plots, the dormice foraged mostly on the common beech, eating both ripe fruit, ripening fruit and vegetative parts of trees. In a beech mast year, on both study plots, the animals foraged on the beech (both July and August) and on the fir Abies alba in RNP and on the common hazel Corylus avellana in SLP (in August). Bigger differences in diets between the two populations studied were found in a non-mast year, resulting from differential foraging and exploitation of subdominant tree and bush species on the plots. The dormice foraged mostly on food that was characterized by the highest nutritional value at a given time.