Differential responses of Clethrionomys species to forest disturbance in Europe and North America

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Abstract
In Holarctic forests, newly disturbed areas constantly appear as the result of clear-cutting and burning. Rodent communities in mature forests of Europe and North America are comparable, being dominated by a Clethrionomys species: Clethrionomys glareolus in Europe and Clethrionomys gapperi in America. In disturbed areas, however, they differ considerably, as C. glareolus persists on clearcuts in the Palearctic region, while in the Nearctic region, C. gapperi is replaced by Peromyscus species. Meta-analysis was applied to published data to summarize inter continenal differences. The aim of this paper is to explain why C. gapperi is not as successful as C. glareolus in colonizing disturbed areas, and to support one (or more) of the following hypotheses: (i) Peromyscus species are more suited to colonizing disturbed areas than other rodents; thus, the absence of Peromyscus species in Europe leaves the disturbed habitats free for C. glareolus; (ii) C. glareolus is more of a generalist and therefore better adapted for resettling such areas than C. gapperi; (iii) the long historical period of human management of forests has affected the niches of rodents, and thus their ability to colonize disturbed areas. The data analyzed indicate that the second hypothesis best explains the ultimate cause, while the third presents a probable proximate cause of the stated difference.