Home ranges, nest sites and population dynamics of the forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula [Pallas] in an oak-hornbeam forest: a live-trapping and radio-tracking study

Population dynamics, space use and interspecific interactions of the forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula were studied for four years in an oak-hornbeam forest in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (NE Poland). Animals were captured with live-traps and marked by eartattooing. Population density ranged from 1.4 to 18.6 individuals × 10 ha⁻¹. Dormice reproduced in all years of study (2001–2004). Offspring were born in June and first juveniles were caught at the beginning of August. The last dormice were captured at the end of September. Three forest dormice (1 male and 2 females) were radio-tracked during first half of June 2001. Male home range area was larger (4.2 ha) than home range areas of females (0.75 and 0.73 ha). The longest distance between two consecutive daytime nest sites was 275 m for the male and 126 m for the females. Average home range length calculated from radiotracked individuals (218 m) was larger than the one from live-trapped dormice (93 m). Dormice used bird nest boxes and tree hollows for daytime nest sites. They preferred nesting in the nest boxes previously occupied by birds and they used old bird nest material for the nest construction. Home ranges of radio-tracked forest dormice overlapped widely with home ranges of fat dormice Glis glis. Most of live-traps used by the forest dormouse were also visited by the fat dormouse.