Discontinuous habitat corridors: Effects on male root vole movements

1. We tested how movement rates of male root voles were affected by discontinuities (gaps) in a 1-m wide habitat corridor. 2. Gaps of increasing size (0.5-4 m) were created experimentally by mowing the vegetation. Movement rates (recorded by radiotelemetry) were compared between the manipulated corridor and a contemporal, unmanipulated (continuous) control corridor. 3. Male root voles did not respond to gaps until the gap size became 4 m which is equivalent to approximate to 10-20% of the normal home range diameter. Gap sizes of 4 m in the corridor decreased the movement rates significantly and to the same degree for two behaviourally distinct strains of root voles. 4. The similar responses of the two vole strains indicated that the results may have validity beyond the particular experimental setting employed.