Home ranges of fossorial water voles (Arvicola amphibius) in urban grasslands.

Abstract

Water voles (Arvicola amphibius) occur in urban areas in mainland Britain but relatively little is known about their ecology in these environments. In Scotland’s largest city Glasgow, fossorial water voles occupy areas of grassland, some of which may be faced with urban development. The aim of this study was to estimate the area of habitat required by water voles in these urban grasslands by determining their home range size and spatial overlap. Radio-tracking was undertaken at two grassland sites over 29 days during September to October 2018. The mean ± SD home range size of males was 881.4 ± 636.21 m2 (n=5, range 197.8 -1836.2) and 996.5 ± 643.45 m² (n=5, range=435.1 – 2044.6) for females. There was no difference in home range size between sexes or sites and no correlation with body mass. Where home ranges overlapped, the percentage area overlap was 37.4 ± 26.81%. These initial findings provide valuable information on spatial use of urban grasslands by water voles that will inform the management of habitats for this species.