An analysis of movements of the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus in its home range

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the movements of the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus in its home range. The movements were recorded using a new tracking method: it consisted of tracking a visually tagged wood mouse by a telescope from an observation tower and automatically recording the successive positions of this telescope (corresponding to the successive positions of the wood mouse in the field). Statistical analysis of 51 recorded movements, involving 10 wood mice, was carried out. The characteristics of the general movement patterns fitted a first order correlated random walk model. Furthermore, the detailed structure of paths was quantified. An analysis of variance showed that an individual factor was involved in metric and temporal movement characteristics but not in the statistical structure of the paths. Lastly, examination of all the movements of 6 wood mice, with for which at least 4 different paths were recorded, revealed their space use patterns within their home ranges.