Notes on the burrow systems of Woodmice (Apodemus sylvaticus)

Surviving north of the natural range: the importance of density independence in determining population size

“…Wood mice store food in their burrows, particularly large seeds and acorns and to some extent snails and beetles (Jennings, 1975). In our study area of barren meadows and hay fields with drainage ditches, no tree seeds are available and there are few plant species producing seeds large enough to make it possible for the mice to quickly accumulate large stores for the winter.…”

Scatter hoarding and cache pilferage by superior competitors: an experiment with wild boar, Sus scrofa

“…It is thus not unlikely that wild boar form a direct threat to the survival of wood mice, and as a consequence, wood mice might have adjusted their hoarding patterns so that the risk of predation by wild boar, rather than the risk of pilferage, is minimized (Focardi et al, 2000;Muñoz & Bonal, 2007;PuertaPiñero et al, 2010). Generally, larder hoards are connected to the underground burrow system of the hoarder and are usually located near the hoarder's nest, whereas scatter hoards are created from the soil surface, and are usually not connected to the burrow system of the hoarder (Jennings, 1975;Vander Wall, 1990). The scatterhoarding set-up, where food is detached from the burrow system, is likely to reduce the risk of wild boar encountering the nest or hiding place of a hoarder while it is searching for buried food items (Vander Wall, 1990).…”

“…The majority of food items, however, are typically scattered throughout the home range of the wood mouse (e.g. Den Ouden et al, 2005;Jennings, 1975;Jensen & Nielsen, 1986;Shimada, 2001;Suselbeek, Jansen, Prins, & Steele, 2013) with the degree of scattering being larger in the presence of wild boar than in their absence (Puerta-Piñero et al, 2010).…”

“…All caches were created 5e8 cm below the soil surface. These depths approximate the depths reported for seeds hoarded by wood mice (Den Ouden et al, 2005;Jennings, 1975;Mallorie & Flowerdew, 1994). In addition, we ran a fourth treatment ('deep larder hoarding'), in which seeds were larder hoarded as above (treatment 1), but at greater depth: 15e20 cm below the soil surface.…”

“…The interaction between wood mice, wild boar and oaks is interesting, as it is known from previous studies that hoarding patterns of wood mice can vary between individuals and between populations (e.g. Clarke & Kramer, 1994;Den Ouden, Jansen, & Smit, 2005;Jenkins & Breck, 1998;Jennings, 1975;Jensen & Nielsen, 1986;Lu & Zhang, 2005, and that they can vary depending on wild boar presence (e.g. Focardi et al, 2000;Muñoz & Bonal, 2007;Muñoz, Bonal, & Díaz, 2009;Puerta-Piñero et al, 2010).…”