2025/06/06 by Pedro Mittelman, Micaela Pineda, Niko Balkenhol · 2 voices
Environmental Science · #Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s10344-025-01947-y
openalex publication_date 2025/06/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Tree species admixtures are a promising management practice to reconcile biodiversity and economic benefits. Mixtures have been shown to promote the diversity of many taxa. However, how canopy-dwelling small mammals are affected by tree admixtures and changes in forest composition has seldom been studied. Here we assess how forests with varying proportions of European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and two conifer species: ( Pseudotsuga menziesii and Picea abies) influence the presence of three arboreal small mammals: red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), edible dormouse ( Glis glis ) and hazel dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius ). We set up 80 non-baited camera trap stations on trees, at heights ranging from 2 to 30 m, at four sites (with five forest plots each) in northern Germany. We then assessed arboreal small mammal species’ presence, occupancy, potential competition, and probability of co-occurrence through occupancy models and generalized linear mixed models. After 7374 camera-days, we recorded 468 sightings of red squirrels, 249 of edible dormice, and 197 of hazel dormice. We found no evidence that the presence of one animal species negatively influenced the presence of the others. Forests with a greater share of conifers had greater occupancy by squirrels, while forests with greater beech share had greater occupancy by dormice species. The probability of co-occurrence of arboreal small mammal species was the highest in forests with intermediate proportions of beech and conifers, revealing that mixed forests promoted the coexistence of red squirrels and dormice. Clinical trial number : Not applicable.