A comparative study of the ecology of woodmice Apodemus sylvaticus in two contrasting habitats: deciduous woodland and maritime sand‐dunes

The woodmouse is a characteristic rodent of deciduous woodland but also occurs in a wide variety of othe habitats. This paper describes the comparative ecology of woodmice living in two habitats of markedly different productivity; deciduous woodland and a maritime sand‐dune system. The diets of the two populations were quite different; woodland mice ate mainly seeds whilst those on the dunes subsisted on invertebrates, particularly Coleoptera. Population densities in the woodland were higher than those on the dunes. In contrast, home range sizes were much larger on the dunes. Mice living in the two habitats exhibited different patterns of activity. The dune animals left their nests earlier in the evening and they were active for longer each night. It is argued that all of these differences between the two populations are due to differences in food availability in the two habitats.