Effects of Climate and Land Use on the Population Dynamics of the Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in the Southernmost Part of Its Range.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of habitat structure and climatic variables on populations of bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus), a northern species with adaptations to cooler climate, at the southern end of their range in Western Europe over a 16-year period. This is the first long-term analysis of its kind in this region. The study aims to understand how these variables influence the population dynamics and occupancy of bank voles. The results suggested that warmer years and extreme precipitation events lead to a reduction in bank vole abundance. Although changes in land use were minimal in the plots studied, changes in forest composition, particularly the expansion of coniferous forests at the expense of deciduous forests, were also related to lower bank vole abundance. Occupancy models, taking into account detectability, indicated stable occupancy in all regions. Our results suggest that climate change and habitat alterations, such as changes in forest composition, could pose threats to bank vole populations in these regions.