Impact du paysage sur les dynamiques de pullulations de campagnol terrestre (Arvicola terrestris sherman) dans le Massif Central

Landscape effects on water vole outbreak dynamics in the Massif Central

In order to identify the habitat types that favour water vole outbreaks, it is important to characterise the links that exist between landscape composition, land use, and outbreak risk. Using data obtained during water vole population monitoring efforts carried out in the Puy-de-Dôme and Cantal departments from 1985 to 2001, 3 major classes of vole population dynamics were identified and characterised. They are the following: i) zones of low outbreak risk, which are dominated by fields of arable crops or mosaics of grasslands and croplands (ratio of land under permanent grass to usable agricultural area of <<>0.75); ii) zones of intermediate outbreak risk (characterised by localised outbreaks), which are dominated by permanent grasslands associated with large forested areas; and iii) zones that experience frequent and severe outbreaks, which are almost entirely dominated by permanent grasslands located within open landscapes. These results match those found in Franche-Comté.