naa a22 4500 510744982 CHVBK 20180411083042.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130701xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s13364-013-0134-0 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s13364-013-0134-0 Population status, habitat associations, and distribution of the steppe polecat Mustela eversmanii in Europe [Elektronische Daten] [Martin Šálek, Nikolai Spassov, Miloš Anděra, Karin Enzinger, Barnabás Ottlecz, Zsolt Hegyeli] The steppe polecat Mustela eversmanii is a medium-sized mustelid species whose European population has significantly declined over the past century. However, due to the lack of systematic surveys, little is known about its status and distribution. In this paper, we review the current distribution, habitat associations, and population trends of steppe polecats in Europe and assess the main factors associated with these trends. Our results reveal ongoing population declines in most of the studied countries, which led to fragmentation and local population extinctions at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The species was assessed as rapidly declining in Austria, Czech Republic, Moldova, Slovakia, and Ukraine; declining in Bulgaria; and stable in Hungary. Due to insufficient data, its status was not evaluated for Romania, Poland, and Serbia. M. eversmanii naturally occurs in steppe habitats, but recently seems to have adopted open agricultural landscapes consisting of a mosaic of grasslands, small fields with hedges, and dry embankments. Its distribution often coincides with populations of ground squirrels and hamsters. However, in intensively used agricultural landscapes, smaller rodents (especially voles) could also be an important dietary component. Intensive agricultural production, habitat loss, the degradation of steppe and grassland habitats, and significant declines in the availability of its main prey are the crucial factors for the species' current population decline. Further research is urgently needed to fill the gaps in our knowledge of its distribution, population densities, feeding ecology, habitat associations, and population genetics. This would enable first steps towards its effective conservation and management strategies. Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland, 2013 Steppe polecat nationallicence Mustela eversmanii nationallicence Distribution nationallicence Habitat associations nationallicence Population status nationallicence Europe nationallicence Šálek Martin Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic aut Spassov Nikolai National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Blvd. Tzar Osvoboditel, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria aut Anděra Miloš National Museum, Vinohradská 1, 115 79, Praha 1, Czech Republic aut Enzinger Karin Austrian League of Nature Conservation, Lower Austria, Naturschutzbund NÖ, Mariannengasse 32/16, 1090, Vienna, Austria aut Ottlecz Barnabás Institute of Wildlife Management and Vertebrate Zoology, University of West Hungary, 9400, Sopron Ady E. U. 5, Hungary aut Hegyeli Zsolt "Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association, Crinului st. no. 22, Tîrgu-Mureş, Romania aut Acta Theriologica Springer-Verlag 58/3(2013-07-01), 233-244 0001-7051 58:3<233 2013 58 13364 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-013-0134-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 review-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-013-0134-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Šálek Martin Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Spassov Nikolai National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Blvd. Tzar Osvoboditel, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Anděra Miloš National Museum, Vinohradská 1, 115 79, Praha 1, Czech Republic aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Enzinger Karin Austrian League of Nature Conservation, Lower Austria, Naturschutzbund NÖ, Mariannengasse 32/16, 1090, Vienna, Austria aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ottlecz Barnabás Institute of Wildlife Management and Vertebrate Zoology, University of West Hungary, 9400, Sopron Ady E. U. 5, Hungary aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hegyeli Zsolt "Milvus Group” Bird and Nature Protection Association, Crinului st. no. 22, Tîrgu-Mureş, Romania aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Acta Theriologica Springer-Verlag 58/3(2013-07-01), 233-244 0001-7051 58:3<233 2013 58 13364 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer