<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Intensification of agriculture has led, among other negative consequences, also to drying out of wetlands. Nevertheless, some of the wetland biotopes were preserved as small spots. This paper discusses the importance of those areas serving as refugia for small terrestrial mammals. Because small terrestrial mammals in the middle of food webs, they serve as an indicator for the presence of food sources (plants and invertebrates) and suggest the potential of the area as a living space for predators. The experiment took place at lowland agricultural landscape with wetland patches in west and west-east Slovakia (Záhorská and Podunajská nížina lowlands) using catch-mark-release method from 2015 to 2017. The importance was assessed according to abundance, biodiversity, persistence of species during seasons and habitat preference of small terrestrial mammals and equitability of the biotopes. Overall 368 individuals belonging to 12 species were recorded. The lowest abundance and diversity were registered at field biotopes where <italic>Apodemus sylvaticus</italic> was the most abundant. <italic>Microtus arvalis, Clethrionomys glareolus</italic> and <italic>Sorex araneus</italic> dominate at wetland biotopes. The higher biodiversity and abundance of small mammals were recorded at the wetland refugia. The results, together with position of small mammals in food webs, lead to conclusion that the wetland refugia are important habitats for the overall preservation of biodiversity and maintaining them is a part of the strategy for sustainable agriculture.</p></abstract>

Intensification of agriculture has led, among other negative consequences, also to drying out of wetlands. Nevertheless, some of the wetland biotopes were preserved as small spots. This paper discusses the importance of those areas serving as refugia for small terrestrial mammals. Because small terrestrial mammals in the middle of food webs, they serve as an indicator for the presence of food sources (plants and invertebrates) and suggest the potential of the area as a living space for predators. The experiment took place at lowland agricultural landscape with wetland patches in west and west-east Slovakia (Záhorská and Podunajská nížina lowlands) using catch-mark-release method from 2015 to 2017. The importance was assessed according to abundance, biodiversity, persistence of species during seasons and habitat preference of small terrestrial mammals and equitability of the biotopes. Overall 368 individuals belonging to 12 species were recorded. The lowest abundance and diversity were registered at field biotopes where Apodemus sylvaticus was the most abundant. Microtus arvalis, Clethrionomys glareolus and Sorex araneus dominate at wetland biotopes. The higher biodiversity and abundance of small mammals were recorded at the wetland refugia. The results, together with position of small mammals in food webs, lead to conclusion that the wetland refugia are important habitats for the overall preservation of biodiversity and maintaining them is a part of the strategy for sustainable agriculture.

Importance of Wetland Refugia in Agricultural Landscape Provided Based on the Community Characteristics of Small Terrestrial Mammals

Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra

Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences

Ekológia (Bratislava)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Intensification of agriculture has led, among other negative consequences, also to drying out of wetlands. Nevertheless, some of the wetland biotopes were...

Importance of Wetland Refugia in Agricultural Landscape Provided Based on the Community Characteristics of Small Terrestrial Mammals

Published Online: Dec 07, 2018

Page range: 358 - 368

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eko-2018-0027

Keywords
small terrestrial mammals, refugia, agricultural landscape, wetlands

© 2018 Michaela Kalivodová et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Importance of Wetland Refugia in Agricultural Landscape Provided Based on the Community Characteristics of Small Terrestrial Mammals

Published Online: Dec 07, 2018

Page range: 358 - 368

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eko-2018-0027

Keywordssmall terrestrial mammals, refugia, agricultural landscape, wetlands

© 2018 Michaela Kalivodová et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
small terrestrial mammals, refugia, agricultural landscape, wetlands