naa a22 4500 510738044 CHVBK 20180411083018.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11284-012-1020-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11284-012-1020-y Snow evens fragmentation effects and food determines overwintering success in ground-dwelling voles [Elektronische Daten] [Marko Haapakoski, Hannu Ylönen] Climate instability strongly affects overwintering conditions in organisms living in a strongly seasonal environment and consequently their survival and population dynamics. Food, predation and density effects are also strong during winter, but the effect of fragmentation of ground vegetation on ground-dwelling small mammals is unknown. Here, we report the results of a winter experiment on the effects of habitat fragmentation and food on experimental overwintering populations of bank voles Myodes glareolus. The study was conducted in large outdoor enclosures containing one large, two medium-sized or four small habitat patches or the total enclosure area covered with protective tall-grass habitat. During the stable snow cover of midwinter, only food affected the overwintering success, body condition, trappability and earlier onset of breeding in bank voles. However, after the snow thaw in spring, habitat fragmentation gained importance again, and breeding activities increased the movements of voles in the most fragmented habitat. The use of an open, risky matrix area increased along the habitat fragmentation. Our experiment showed that long-lasting stable snow cover protects overwintering individuals in otherwise exposed and risky ground habitats. We conclude that a stable winter climate and snow cover should even out habitat fragmentation effects on small mammals. However, along prolonged snow-free early winter and in an earlier spring thaw, this means loss of protection by snow cover both in terms of thermoregulation and predation. Thus, habitat cover is important for the survival of small ground-dwelling boreal mammals also during the non-breeding season. The Ecological Society of Japan, 2013 Clethrionomys glareolus nationallicence Onset of breeding nationallicence Space use nationallicence Trappability nationallicence Haapakoski Marko Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland aut Ylönen Hannu Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland aut Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/2(2013-03-01), 307-315 0912-3814 28:2<307 2013 28 11284 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-1020-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-1020-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Haapakoski Marko Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ylönen Hannu Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Konnevesi Research Station, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/2(2013-03-01), 307-315 0912-3814 28:2<307 2013 28 11284 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer