Aspects of demography in three distinct populations of garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus, across Italy and Spain

Comparative aspects of the demography were investigated in three distinct populations of the ecologically poorly studied rodent Eliomys quercinus, in Spain and Italy. Maximum longevity was observed in a Spanish female (survival of at least 2 years and 4 months). For all the populations under study, various closed population models and the robust design model gave similarly reliable estimates for population size, with Jolly-Seber estimates being considerably less reliable. The same result also emerged for the estimates of survival and capture probabilities, but with less profound differences between Jolly-Seber and the closed models with robust design. Average density showed considerable oscillations over the years and across localities, being nearly identical in northern and central Italy but considerably higher in Spain. Survival was considerably higher in Spain than in northern and central Italy. Conversely, capture probability was higher in northern Italy than in the other two study areas.