Abstract
The major objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of contrasting landscape corridors on population dispersal behavior of feral house mice (Mus musculus). Eight 0.1-ha enclosures were divided into two linear systems of four enclosures each. The two end enclosures of each system were planted in oats (Avena sativa). Two 1-m wide corridors connected the end enclosures. Corridors in one system consisted of strips of unmowed vegetation; corridors in the other system consisted of strips of unmowed vegetation plus a split-rail fence. Trials were conducted in early summer, late summer, autumn and winter. Significantly more mice dispersed in the corridors containing the split-rail fence during late summer and autumn, whereas equal numbers dispersed in both corridors in early summer and winter. Significantly more adult males dispersed than did adult females. Population density was not responsible for differences in dispersal rates observed between the two systems. Results suggest that both the vegetative and man-made corridor components influence the dispersal of small mammals within an agricultural landscape.
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