Structure of small rodent communities in orchards from the central part of the Republic of Moldova and Bacau district, Romania

Abstract

The studies were performed in the period 2008-2015 in orchards from the central part of the Republic of Moldova and Bacău County, Romania. In both areas 12 species rodent were registered, of which in central Moldova orchards the species R. norvegicus and P. subterraneus were not registered, while in Bacau orchards the species A. uralensis, M. rossiaemeridionalis and D. nitedula weren’t recorded. In CM orchards the dominant species was M. rossiaemeridionalis with about 30%, followed by A. sylvaticus and A. flavicollis. In BC orchards the dominant species was A. flavicollis with more that 41%, followed by A. sylvaticus and M. arvalis.The analysis of demographic structure in spring period showed a high proportion of reproductive females in all species, being the highest at M. rossiaemeridionalis in CM orchard and in A. flavicollis in BC orchard. The share of young individuals constituted up to 40% depending on the species being the highest at M. rossiaemeridionalis in CM orchard and in A. flavicollis in BC orchard. A significant difference in the area of the individual sectors of M.rossiaemeridionalis males and females in the orchard in summer (t = 3.46) and autumn (t = 3.39) was established, as well as for A. sylvaticus in the spring and summer period (t = 2.06; 2.03), and for A.uralensis in spring and autumn (t = 2.99; 3.44).

Spatiotemporal Variation of Small Mammal Communities in Commercial Orchards across the Small Country

“…Often occurring in high abundances, small mammals, mostly rodents, may become pests of the agricultural landscape, and thus they can contribute to ecosystem disservices [52]. Regarding commercial fruit orchards and berry plantations, information relating to the small mammal communities that inhabit them is not comprehensive [31,32,34,36,39,42,45,53]. The current manuscript expands knowledge on the influence of crop type on the diversity and abundance of small mammals and their trends, which can be useful in appreciating the sustainability of orchards and their value for biodiversity [54][55][56] and how small mammals could be used as an indicator group [19].…”

“…As a source of provided foods, represented by the trophic niches of species, orchards are different from "wild" or "natural" habitats in as much as they are scarce in seeds for granivores [43], this thus influencing competition for food in herbivores [44]. Habitat characteristics have only so far been analyzed in general in terms of age and crop type ( [39] and this paper), though it is also possible that the structural diversity of vegetation may have an influence on diversity of small mammals in orchards and surrounding areas [53,68]. Small mammals are influenced by the structure of the crops [60], monocultures [28], management options and intensity [39,69], and the presence of refuges [53,70].…”

“…Habitat characteristics have only so far been analyzed in general in terms of age and crop type ( [39] and this paper), though it is also possible that the structural diversity of vegetation may have an influence on diversity of small mammals in orchards and surrounding areas [53,68]. Small mammals are influenced by the structure of the crops [60], monocultures [28], management options and intensity [39,69], and the presence of refuges [53,70].…”

“…Only permanent crops are suitable for the prediction of small mammal community trends [60]. Commercial orchards, being a part of the agrolandscape, have already proved that they can support high numbers of species and small mammal diversity in several countries [31][32][33][34][35][36][37]39,53,59], and they are a good example of crop stability. In Lithuania, the diversity of small mammals in commercial orchards is higher than that in forest habitats [39].…”