Responses of Arvicola terrestris scherman populations to agricultural practices, and to Talpa europaea abundance in eastern France

Abstract

The impact of farming practices (fertilization, mowing, grazing, ploughing, etc.) on Arvicola terrestris scherman population dynamics was investigated using index methods during the increase and the high density phase of a population cycle taking into account Talpa europaea population abundance. Farming practices significantly impacted A. terrestris populations. More intensive production indicators such as organic fertilisation and mowing correlated with the early growth of vole population. In contrast, disturbances such as grazing and soil cultivation correlated with lower vole population abundance during the high density phase. Furthermore, this study indicates that A. terrestris population dynamics patterns was governed by multifactorial processes. The way those results may help to rethink population outbreak control through farming practices complementary to other methods is discussed.