EFFECTS OF PHYLOGENESIS, MORPHOLOGY AND HABITAT PREFERENCES ON PREDATORY EXPOSURE IN A MEDITERRANEAN SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITY

Data obtained in three-year field study on a Mediterranean prey predat ors community in central Italy are discussed. In particular, the aim o f this paper was to test whether some parameters linked to the morphol ogy, phylogenesis and habitat preferences of a given potential prey co uld affect its predatory exposure. Eight predator species belonging to two different guilds (snakes and owls) were found at the study area, while ten preyed small mammal taxa were recognized in predator diets. One of the main factors emerging from this study was the great importa nce of body mass similarity in assessing the degree of overlap of pred atory exposure between two small mammal taxa. On the contrary, the phy logenetic relationship between prey was of very little importance, pro bably because each phylogenetic group is composed by different potenti al prey species living in different habitats. In conclusion, due to th e apparent lack of importance in the overlap of habitat preferences be tween the various prey in the overlapping of their predatory exposure, it could be stressed that the body mass similarity can be said to pla y the most relevant role in determining the overlap of predator commun ity, exerciting a selective pressure on two different preyed taxa, and their effective predation risk.