Seguimiento de las poblaciones de lirón gris (Glis glis) en el NE de la Península Ibérica

Abstract

The aim of this study is to obtain data on the biology and ecology of the edible dormouse (Glis glis Linaeus, 1766) by using a standardized methodology. The edible dormouse monitoring program in Catalonia started in 2003 with the placement of specific nesting boxes for that and other arboreal small mammals in the MontnegreCorredor Natural Park (Barcelona). We currently have 150 nest boxes distributed across 25 different locations of the NE Iberian Peninsula, trying to represent the different habitats found in these areas, with a mean altitude of 1,350 m (500-1,850 m.a.s.l.), and sampling typical Mediterranean environments (e.g. Holm oak woodland), deciduous forests (e.g. oak, beech, and riparian forests), and subalpine forests. The results allowed us to observe a great spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the occupation of the boxes. Breeding has been observed with great regularity in oak and chestnut woodlands in Montnegre (Barcelona) and Montseny (Barcelona), but appears irregular or absent in some beech and oak forests. In the Pyrenean forests we have seen a high variation in the occupancy rate of the boxes. Apparently, some viable habitats have not been occupied during these years, suggesting differences in habitat quality to which dormouse populations seem to respond. Monitoring of nest boxes also allowed us to obtain information on other species of arboreal rodents like the yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior, 1834), the black rat Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) and the garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus (Linnaeus, 1766).