The burrow system of the common vole ( M. arvalis, Rodentia) in Switzerland

• Published in: mammalia
• Main Authors: Brügger, Andrea, Nentwig, Wolfgang, Airoldi, Jean-Pierre
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Walter de Gruyter GmbH 2010
• Subjects: Common vole; Microtus arvalis
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2010.035; https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mamm.2010.035/xml; https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mamm.2010.035/pdf

Abstract Fifty burrow systems of Microtus arvalis were excavated, from October 2006 to August 2007 in wildflower fields and quasi-natural habitats in five areas near Bern, Switzerland. They comprise an aboveground part, which is longer in spring/summer, and a subterranean part, which is longer in autumn/winter. Three main construction types exist: (a) linear burrows, (b) compact and tight networks, and (c) structures containing both a compact network around the nest and linear parts elsewhere. The subterranean length was on average 16.9 m (range: 0.5–70.2 m) and aboveground length 39.4 m (range: 0–95 m). Numbers of intersections, dead ends, and openings correlate significantly with subterranean burrow length. Nests and food caches were located at a maximal depth and mostly in a central position, as revealed by graph theory.