Habitat Fragmentation of Two Dormouse Species (Gliridae, Rodentia) and Biodiversity Protection of Deciduous Forests in the Nizhny Novgorod Region

Little is known about the dormouse species distribution in the Middle Volga region. The habitats of the edible dormouse Glis glis L. and the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius L. are fragmented and mainly lost in the agricultural landscape of the right Bank of the Volga River and in the coniferous forests of the right Bank of the Lower Oka River in the Nizhny Novgorod region. New data are given of features of the habitats of two sympatric dormouse species at a patch of a lime-oak forest surrounded by coniferous forests. Within the studied area, 80 wooden nestboxes were put up in places with well-connected tree canopies and well-developed understory. During three years of our study (2016-2018), preliminary data were obtained on the dynamics of nest-boxes use, relative abundance and reproduction of both dormouse species. The patch of the lime-oak forest, about 20 ha, is divided into two parts by a road and a 50 m-wide vista. Both parts did not differ in vegetation, but the edible dormouse was found in the southern part only. The hazel dormouse was found through the whole lime-oak patch, except for the woodplot no 1 (1.5 ha) occupied by edible dormice with a high density. On the basis of the data obtained, management actions are suggested to raise the level of connectivity and immigration in the population of isolated broad-leaved patches in coniferous forests, in particular, to develop a network of “key habitats”.