Agriculture intensification,marked by the generalization of crop monoculture,by the increase in plot size and by the reduction of plant diversity,has led to huge decline in wildlife in European farmlands.In such habit...Agriculture intensification,marked by the generalization of crop monoculture,by the increase in plot size and by the reduction of plant diversity,has led to huge decline in wildlife in European farmlands.In such habitat,re-search has long been biased towards birds and invertebrates,while very few studies have investigated the ef-fect on small mammals.Considering the European hamster,Cricetus cricetus,we therefore review the different techniques that can be used to investigate the impact of environmental changes and conservation measures in small and endangered wild mammals.We suggest that only a multidisciplinary approach will allow exploration of these effects,combining experimental laboratory work on captive-bred animals with the monitoring of wild individuals.In particular,individual energy balance has to be investigated and measured as accurately as possi-ble,through either biochemical or bio-logging techniques.It is,indeed,the most affected physiological trait in a changing environment,as it determines both the reproductive output and the survival of the individual.We also discuss the inconvenience of capture-release approaches for such an endangered species and emphasize the dis-turbance that experimental protocols could impose on the hamster.展开更多
文摘Agriculture intensification,marked by the generalization of crop monoculture,by the increase in plot size and by the reduction of plant diversity,has led to huge decline in wildlife in European farmlands.In such habitat,re-search has long been biased towards birds and invertebrates,while very few studies have investigated the ef-fect on small mammals.Considering the European hamster,Cricetus cricetus,we therefore review the different techniques that can be used to investigate the impact of environmental changes and conservation measures in small and endangered wild mammals.We suggest that only a multidisciplinary approach will allow exploration of these effects,combining experimental laboratory work on captive-bred animals with the monitoring of wild individuals.In particular,individual energy balance has to be investigated and measured as accurately as possi-ble,through either biochemical or bio-logging techniques.It is,indeed,the most affected physiological trait in a changing environment,as it determines both the reproductive output and the survival of the individual.We also discuss the inconvenience of capture-release approaches for such an endangered species and emphasize the dis-turbance that experimental protocols could impose on the hamster.
