Behaviour, dynamics and ecological impact of small mustelids

Contributions The following table indicates the major contributions of authors to the original articles or manuscripts. Behaviour, dynamics and ecological impact of small mustelids This thesis is a summary of the following papers, which are referred to by their roman numerals. Indirect effects of least weasel presence on field vole behaviour and demography: a field experiment. Annales Zoologici Fennici 39: 257-265. temporal patterns in population dynamics of the stoat (Mustela erminea) and the least weasel (M. nivalis) in Finland. Submitted manuscript. Home ranges, habitat choice and activity of stoats (Mustela erminea) in relation to sex and dominance status during the snowless seasons in subarctic area. Journal of Zoology, accepted. Contents Page Introduction 7 Home ranges and territoriality 7 Competition and coexistence 8 Breeding 9 Food 9 The ecological impact of small mustelids in vertebrate communities 9 Outline of this thesis 12 Material and methods 14 Study areas 14 Field experiment on predation risk 15 Captive-born weasels 15 Vole, weasel and stoat trappings 15 Weasel, stoat and vole radio-tracking 16 Snow tracking 16 Scat analyses 17 Main results and discussion 17 Indirect effects of least weasel presence on field vole behaviour and dynamics 17 Impact of stoats on the dynamics of the rodent community in Finnish Lapland 17 Large-scale dynamics of stoat and least weasel 18 Survival of captive-born released least weasels 19 Behavioural differences among stoats depending on their sex and dominance status 20 Conclusions 20 Acknowledgements 21 References 22 Chapters I. Indirect effects of least weasel presence on field vole behaviour and demography: a field experiment. II. Influence of altered predator community on vole population fluctuations in Finnish Lapland. III. Large-scale spatial and temporal patterns in population dynamics of the stoat (Mustela erminea) and the least weasel (M. nivalis) in Finland. IV. Survival and behaviour of captive-born weasels released in nature. V. Home ranges, habitat choice and activity of stoats (Mustela erminea) in relation to sex and dominance status during the snowless seasons in subarctic area. Behaviour, dynamics and ecological impact of small mustelids 7 Introduction Weasel (Mustela nivalis) and stoat (M. erminea) are two closely related mustelid species. Both are small in size, and the subspecies M. nivalis nivalis, the least weasel, is the smallest mammalian predator in the world. Even though the maximum lifespans of weasels and stoats may be relatively long (3-9 years), only a small proportion of individuals reaches more than one year of age …