气候变化领域集成服务门户(CCPortal): Effects of food availability on the trophic niche of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius

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DOI	10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118215
	Effects of food availability on the trophic niche of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius
	Goodwin C.E.D.; Swan G.J.F.; Hodgson D.J.; Bailey S.; Chanin P.; McDonald R.A.
发表日期	2020
ISSN	0378-1127
卷号	470-471
英文摘要	The scale at which variations in food availability affect the foraging habits of individual animals can determine how the distribution of food resources affects populations. For species of conservation concern, these factors can have important implications for the management of habitats, as spatial and temporal variations in resource availability influence the trophic ecology of both individuals and populations. The hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius is a species with seasonal dietary shifts and limited ranging, and whose populations in Great Britain are exhibiting marked decline, despite conservation measures. We compared resource availability and variation in dormouse traits with their trophic characteristics, determined by stable isotope analysis of dormouse hair and of their putative food items. The trophic levels of individual dormice were associated with the abundance of invertebrates in the surrounding habitat and in the woodland as a whole. Assessment of dormouse dietary composition suggests that the proportions of invertebrates and of tree seeds and flowers in dormouse diets are affected by the abundance of food plants in the local habitat. This suggests that dormice can exploit both invertebrates and plants in proportion to their availability, and are variable in their predatory habits, in response to both the availability of invertebrates and plants. Dormouse populations exhibit a broader trophic niche in autumn than in spring, most likely a consequence of their consumption of foods derived from a wider variety of tree and shrub species. We found no relationship between isotope signatures or food availability and the body mass or torpor of individuals, or the status of populations. This may be because, on the sites we studied, dormice could adapt to different food availabilities without discernible individual and population effects. Dormice are opportunistic feeders, rather than specialists, making use of abundant food resources at a local scale. Habitat conservation for dormice, therefore, could benefit from establishing and maintaining habitats that increase the overall abundance and uniform distribution of both flower and fruit-bearing shrubs and trees and invertebrate populations, at a fine spatial scale. © 2020 The Authors
英文关键词	Conservation; Muscardinus avellanarius; Stable isotope; Trophic ecology; Woodland management
语种	英语
scopus关键词	Animals; Conservation; Ecosystems; Forestry; Isotopes; Population statistics; Seed; Conservation measures; Dietary composition; Habitat conservation; Isotope signatures; Resource availability; Spatial and temporal variation; Stable-isotope analysis; Uniform distribution; Population distribution; abundance; body mass; flower; food availability; isotopic analysis; rodent; stable isotope; trophic structure; woodland; Animals; Conservation; Ecosystems; Forestry; Isotopes; United Kingdom; Animalia; Invertebrata; Muscardinus avellanarius; Myoxidae
来源期刊	Forest Ecology and Management
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/155217
作者单位	Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom; Forestry and Land Scotland, Dumfries and Borders Forest District, Ae Village, Parkgate, Dumfries, DG1 1QB, United Kingdom; Union Rd, Crediton, Devon EX17 3AL, United Kingdom
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Goodwin C.E.D.,Swan G.J.F.,Hodgson D.J.,et al. Effects of food availability on the trophic niche of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius[J],2020,470-471.
APA	Goodwin C.E.D.,Swan G.J.F.,Hodgson D.J.,Bailey S.,Chanin P.,&McDonald R.A..(2020).Effects of food availability on the trophic niche of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius.Forest Ecology and Management,470-471.
MLA	Goodwin C.E.D.,et al."Effects of food availability on the trophic niche of the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius".Forest Ecology and Management 470-471(2020).