PROPOZYCJA MONITORINGU NORNICY RUDEJ (MYODES GLAREOLU, SCHREBER 1780)

Abstract

There are many reasons why it might be necessary to monitor the bank voles. It causes damage to trees and eats seeds in orchards and tree plantations, and the determination of its presence as well as the effectiveness of the measures taken to minimize losses is very important in the activity of the above-mentioned. The rodent is also the main for central Europe reservoir of the Puumala virus, which is dangerous to humans, so observing the trends in the number of voles may be crucial. The small number of the species may indicate environmental poisoning, especially with copper. And finally, it is a very important species for the environment, both transformed by man and natural, so it is very important to preserve it despite the climate changes. The bank vole is a small mammal from the Cricetidae family. It occurs all over Europe. It lives mainly in deciduous forests of medium density and rich undergrowth, although it is also found in other areas, including anthropogenic ones. The proposed monitoring is based on catching with the use of wooden box traps and the analysis of pellets. The indicators used would be: the number of individuals caught per 100 trap-nights, the percentage of the species in total number of small mammals and the age structure of the population. In the first method one should remember about practices that will reduce or eliminate the mortality of captured animals – the appropriate setting of traps and selection of weather conditions. Also collecting pellets, one should bear in mind the limitations of this method and the differences between the spring-summer and autumn-winter material. The determination of the condition of the habitat may be based on the percentage of deciduous trees, density of trees and the appearance of the undergrowth.