Habitat structure and disturbance affect small mammal populations in Mediterranean forests

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Habitat structure, the physical arrangement of objects in space, affects animal populations, ecological interactions, species diversity, and ecosystem functioning. Conventional forest management practices that reduce habitat structural complexity are thus under reappraisal, and there are increasing efforts to understand how habitat structure affects functionally important species. We investigate here the effect of habitat structures on small mammal dens and their interactions with widespread antagonistic species (wild boars). Among habitat structures we considered tree dimension (diameter), shrub cover, rock cover, dead wood volume, and stump area. Ground cover with rooting signs measured wild boar disturbance. The number of small mammal dens was related positively to rock cover and tree diameter, and negatively to wild boar disturbance. Additionally, a positive interaction between wild boar disturbance and tree diameter emerged, showing that the effect of big trees on small mammal nesting was more evident with higher levels of disturbance. This study suggests that habitat structures that can be affected by forest management provide effective refuges for functionally important species. The effect of habitat structure on species survival and interactions thus needs to be addressed to understand ecosystem management and functioning.