Dispersal in the bank vole

Strony 51-61 : ilustracje ; 27 cm

Pages 51-61 : illustrations ; 27 cm

Bibliographical references (pages 59-61)

Bibliografia na stronach 59-61

The objective of this chapter is to review progress made in the studies of dispersal in the genus Clethrionomys, and particularly in C. glareolus. This is presented in a comparative context to Microtus voles. From reviewed data the following is evident: (1) Habitats of Clethrionomys voles range from relatively homogeneous in the north-eastern landscapes dominated by forest to mosaic ones in the central and western Europe. (2) Dispersal was studied on different spatial scales; for each spatial scale specific techniques were used. New methods employing mtDNA markers proved especially useful for studies in very small and large spatial scales. (3) Natal dispersal, studied usually in small enclosed population, was found to be malebiased as in Microtus voles; a possible effect of population confinement on the obtained results is discussed. (4) Breeding dispersal of adult voles, after recent reexamination of evidence, seems to be less common and less adaptive than previously reported. (5) As future directions of vole dispersal studies spatial-temporal dynamics and landscape ecology are indicated.