Project / Initiative
Subnational projects
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ARSAP
Selection of habitat and dispersal of the water vole (Arvicola sapidus) in a changing natural environment within the Mediterranean slope
Creaf leader
The project examines the habitat selection and dispersal patterns of the water vole (Arvicola sapidus) in a changing Mediterranean fluvial environment, characterised by shifts in water availability, landscape alterations, and increasing anthropogenic pressures. The study integrates ecological modelling, population monitoring, and spatial and genetic analyses to identify the environmental factors that determine the species presence and how these influence its movements and expansion capacity. The results provide key insights for the conservation of this threatened semi-aquatic mammal, contributing to a better understanding of its responses to an increasingly variable environment and guiding the management of critical habitats in the Mediterranean region.
The water vole (Arvicola sapidus) is a semi-aquatic mammal of conservation interest that inhabits fluvial ecosystems and wetlands. In Catalonia and, more broadly, across the Mediterranean region, these environments are undergoing rapid transformation due to reduced habitat availability, landscape fragmentation, intensified land use and increasing anthropogenic pressures. Together, these factors can significantly affect the distribution, abundance and connectivity of water vole populations, as well as their essential ecological patterns.
In this context of environmental change, it is necessary to obtain an updated understanding of the species’ population status, ecological requirements and interactions with other ecosystem components. For this reason, the present thesis project adopts an integrated approach combining field data, spatial analysis, ecological modelling and genetic methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of A. sapidus in Mediterranean environments.
Within this framework, the project establishes the following main objectives:
Assess the distribution and population trends of the water vole in Catalonia in recent years; determine variations in habitat selection across the Mediterranean region; examine the presence of mesocarnivores and their influence on water vole presence and abundance; identify seasonal variations in diet across study areas; and evaluate dispersal and kinship patterns under adverse environmental changes, with the aim of identifying connectivity and resilience patterns.
These objectives provide an integrated framework to address the main conservation challenges of Arvicola sapidus in the Mediterranean region, offering essential knowledge for the management of critical habitats and the preservation of a species particularly vulnerable to environmental change.
