DISTRIBUTION AND DYNAMICS OF THE RED SQUIRREL (SCIURUS-VULGARIS L) INA LANDSCAPE WITH FRAGMENTED HABITAT

Citation
Rc. Vanapeldoorn et al., DISTRIBUTION AND DYNAMICS OF THE RED SQUIRREL (SCIURUS-VULGARIS L) INA LANDSCAPE WITH FRAGMENTED HABITAT, Landscape ecology, 9(3), 1994, pp. 227-235
Citations number
NO
Categorie Soggetti
Geografhy,Ecology,"Geosciences, Interdisciplinary
Journal title
ISSN journal
09212973
Volume
9
Issue
3
Year of publication
1994
Pages
227 - 235
Database
ISI
SICI code
0921-2973(1994)9:3<227:DADOTR>2.0.ZU;2-V
Abstract
In a four year study data on the presence of red squirrel were collect ed in an agricultural landscape by counting dreys in 49 woods ranging from 0.5 to 14 ha, and differing in quality of habitat and isolation. Logit regression analysis showed that the area per woodlot covered wit h conifers is a good predictor of squirrel presence for each year and during the whole period, but the significance of the regression decrea ses with time. During the study the number of woods occupied by red sq uirrel increased, and smaller woods and those without conifers also be came inhabited. This trend is in accordance with the positive effect o f time in regression analyses on the presence of the species and on th e colonization of woods, and it suggests an increase of squirrel numbe rs in the area. Addition of several isolation variables in the regress ion analyses showed significant effects in different years, and the ef fect of isolation was independent of time. In the first two years the area of habitat around a woodlot, the distance to the nearest woodlot larger than 30 ha, and the density of possible movement corridors have significant effects on the presence of red squirrel. In the last two years, with presumably a high number of squirrels, the (short) distanc e to the nearest woodlot and also the area of habitat around woods hav e significant effects. It is concluded that the spatial dynamics of th e population can be understood as the outcome of individual spatial be haviour, rather than as the result of metapopulation processes.