Spruce monocultures of the Drahanská vrchovina Upland (Czech Republic) as the biotope of small terrestrial mammals ( Rodentia , Soricomorpha )

SUCHOMEL, J., PURCHART, L. , URBAN, J.: Spruce monocultures of the Drahanská vrchovina Upland (Czech Republic) as the biotope of small terrestrial mammals (Rodentia, Soricomorpha). Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun. , 2010, LVIII, No. 2, pp. 185–194 The community of small terrestrial mammals of spruce monocultures of the Drahanská vrchovina Upland was studied on small experimental plots, namely in spruce plantations aged 30 and 105 years and on comparative plots in a 40-year beech stand and in a 125-year mixed stand occurring apart in the middle of spruce stands. In total, 128 small mammals of fi ve species were trapped in the period 2006–2008. There were the marked dominance and abundance of Apodemus fl avicollis at all plots (D = 67.7–82.1%; rA = 1.0–1.6) with the exception of a young spruce stand where Myodes glareolus (D = 57.5%; rA = 1.28) dominated. The community diversity was low (H' = 0.6–1.0) and rather balanced E = 0.51–0.89) showing the highest diversity index in a mature spruce monoculture, which, through its age (105 years), made possible the occurrence of a herb layer. With plantings of Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica (age 8 years), it provided the highest diversity of sites. The mixed and beech stands showed the lowest diversity (H' = 0.6–0.8), which was also aff ected by the extreme dominance of Apodemus fl avicollis (73–82%). These biotopes represented optimum sites for this mouse. Diff erences in diversity, equitability and relative abundance between particular species and sites were not signifi cant (p > 0.05). In general, the studied spruce stands appear to be little suitable sites for small terrestrial mammals. The local broadleaved and mixed stands established within the spruce monoculture transformation to close-to nature forests enable only increasing the dominance of adaptable species living in neighbouring spruce stands. small terrestrial mammals, spruce monoculture, Rodentia, Soricomorpha Spruce monocultures, particularly of younger age classes with insuffi ciently developed undergrowth, are generally unsuitable sites for the majority of small mammals (ZEJDA, 1981). The low biodiversity, low population density and the limited production of biomass of dietary-attractive species of plants and long intervals of the seed crop of the only predominating tree species – Norway spruce (Picea abies) result in nearly the absence of the family of Arvicolidae and low population densities of typical forest Muridae, genus Apodemus (ZEJDA, 1981). In communities of forest trees of other composition, higher species and age structure, the species diversity, population density and production of particular representatives of the community of small terrestrial mammals are markedly higher in the same vegetation zone (PELIKÁN et al., 1975; GAISLER and ŠEBELA, 1975; ANDĚRA, 1992; SUCHOMEL, 2007 etc.). Studies of communities of small terrestrial mammals of spruce monocultures are rather rare. It refers either to synecological and production studies (ZEJDA, 1981; GAISLER, 1983; BÜRGER et al., 1987) or studies of the impact on woody species (GILL, 1992; PURCHART and SUCHOMEL, 2007). More frequently, there are studies of communities of small mammals of climax natural mountain spruce stands in various stages of succession (e.g. ANDĚRA and BÜRGER, 1992; BRYJA et al., 1999; 2001; SUCHO186 J. Suchomel, L. Purchart, J. Urban MEL et al., 2007) while cultivated spruce stands are not too attractive for the studies being substantially less abundant (e.g. ZEJDA, 1981; KOLLARS, 1995). With respect to the marked proportion of Soricidae in largely mountain or Scandinavian spruce stands, a number of studies is focused on these insectivores (KOLLARS, 1995; SHELFTEL and HANSKI, 2002 etc.). The aim of the paper is to present preliminary results of research into communities of small terrestrial mammals of cultivated spruce stands from the Drahanská vrchovina Upland including their character in neighbouring mixed and beech stands established in this region within the process of the transformation of spruce monocultures to closeto-nature forests.