Can urban forests provide acoustic refuges for birds?Investigating the influence of vegetation structure and anthropogenic noise on bird sound diversity

As a crucial component of terrestrial ecosystems,urban forests play a pivotal role in protecting urban biodiversity by providing suitable habitats for acoustic spaces.Previous studies note that vegetation structure is a key factor influencing bird sounds in urban forests;hence,adjusting the frequency composition may be a strategy for birds to avoid anthropogenic noise to mask their songs.However,it is unknown whether the response mechanisms of bird vocalizations to vegetation structure remain consistent despite being impacted by anthropogenic noise.It was hypothesized that anthropogenic noise in urban forests occupies the low-frequency space of bird songs,leading to a possible reshaping of the acoustic niches of forests,and the vegetation structure of urban forests is the critical factor that shapes the acoustic space for bird vocalization.Passive acoustic monitoring in various urban forests was used to monitor natural and anthropogenic noises,and sounds were classified into three acoustic scenes(bird sounds,human sounds,and bird-human sounds)to determine interconnections between bird sounds,anthropogenic noise,and vegetation structure.Anthropogenic noise altered the acoustic niche of urban forests by intruding into the low-frequency space used by birds,and vegetation structures related to volume(trunk volume and branch volume)and density(number of branches and leaf area index)significantly impact the diversity of bird sounds.Our findings indicate that the response to low and high frequency signals to vegetation structure is distinct.By clarifying this relationship,our results contribute to understanding of how vegetation structure influences bird sounds in urban forests impacted by anthropogenic noise.

Relationships between bird communities and vegetation structure in Honghuaerji, northern Inner Mongolia

The survey on bird communities was conducted by the belt-style method in six different sample plots in the Honghua抏rji Forests area in the northern Inner Mongolia in June 2001 and totally 28 bird species were recorded. Vegetation investigation was carried out in five 10 m×10 m quadrats at each plot. The asymptotic regression function formulae were adopted to identify the relationships between the vegetation coverage and the numbers of bird species and individuals. The analytical results showed that the changes of species number and density of bird as well as the formation of bird communities follow the changes of forest type and the total foliage. Both the number of bird species and their density decreased with the de-crease of total foliage. The similarity of bird community was very low at the breeding time. In the same classification of cluster, no similarity was higher than 0.65, which indicated that the composition of species had a great difference between all the bird communities. The bird breeding density was closely related to forest growth stage. From the bare grassland ecosystem to cli-max ecosystem, the density of bird species showed a gradually increasing trend.

Characteristics of vegetation structure in breeding area of Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) in Daecheongbong peak, Mt. Seoraksan national park, South Korea

Most of forest birds have the characteristics for habitat selection. The purpose of this study is to clarify the vegetation structure in breeding area of Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope). In Daecheongbong peak, Mt. Seoraksan national park, South Korea from May to August, 2001, breeding population of Siberian rubythroat and the dominant species in breeding area of Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) were surveyed by line transect method along the ridge in the Daecheongbong peak area. Number of individuals and location of song posts were observed and recorded. According to the survey results, the study area was classified into high, middle and low density areas. Those birds selected the forest area of dominant species for Ermans birch and dwarf Siberian pine as habitat and preferred the shrubs area with the lower height and higher coverage.

Vegetation Structure and Regeneration Status of the Western Escarpment of the Rift Valley of the Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Understanding the structure and regeneration of forest resources contributes to identifying the elements of diversity, endemism, threatened and endangered species. This study was conducted in the western escarpment of the Rift valley of the Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. The main objective was to investigate structure and regeneration status of the study area. A systematic sampling method was used to collect vegetation data from a total 102 quadrats, each 20 × 20 m (400 m2) and five 1 × 1 m (1 m2) sub-quadrats were established at the four corners and at the centre for sapling and seedling estimation. Tree and shrub species were listed;Height (H ≥ 1.5 m) and DBH ≥ 2 cm were measured and recorded. R-statically software and Microsoft Excel were used to record and analyse the data. A total of 126 plant species belonging to 43 families and 90 genera were identified. The most dominant families were Fabaceae, followed by Anacardiaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Most frequent species were Euclea divinorum (84.3%), followed by Rhus natalensis (83.3%), Terminalia brownii (74.5%). DBH class ≤ 5cm had highest density (63.6%) and DBH ≥ 25.1 cm had the lowest density (0.87%). Three population patterns have been observed;inverted J, J-shaped and irregular shaped. 93% of species had IVI values b/n 1 - 4, 65% of species IVI values < 1% and 7% of species had IVI values ≥ 5.28. Pappea capensis, Combretum molle, Terminalia brownii, Euclea divinorum had highest IVI values. In the vertical stratification, lower story was 91.3% of the individuals. Only a few species contributed to the high density of saplings (440.2/ha) and seedlings (825.49/ha) while most had very little or no saplings and seedlings at all. Thus, in order to revert the current forest structure and regeneration to the previous natural state, it is considered important to minimize the influence of the human interference, grazing and raising awareness to surrounding community.

Floristic Composition, Population Structure, and Recruitment Status of Plant Species: A Case Study of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration Practices in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya

The technique of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is being promoted as a cost-effective approach for restoring degraded arable dry lands. Its effectiveness has been observed in many countries across the globe, where it is a traditional practice, and is now being encouraged across the African continent. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of FMNR on floristic Composition, Vegetation Structure, and Regeneration Status of woody Plant Species in the severely degraded Central Rift, Kenya. The study systematically assessed how FMNR influenced species composition, vegetation structure and regeneration status from two sample plots involved in FMNR practices. Transect lines and quadrats methods were utilized to collect data, specifically regarding the floristic composition, vegetation structure, and regeneration status of woody plant species. Quadrats and sub-quadrats of varying sizes (10 m by 10 m, 5 m by 5 m, and 1 m by 1 m) were nested along the transect lines for data collection. Furthermore, measurements of tree growth and development, including root collar diameter, diameter at breast height (D130) and heights within the study blocks, were taken. The data was then analyzed using R-software. Results showed a marked progressive increase in numbers of trees, saplings, seedlings, shrubs and herbs in all FMNR sites and reductions in all non-FMNR sites. The study advocates for widespread promotion of the FMNR practice both as an environmental conservation and restoration strategy.

Vegetation scattering attenuation characteristics of terahertz wave

A terahertz(THz)wave transmitted through vegetation experiences both absorption and scattering caused by the air molecules and leaves.This paper presents the scattering attenuation characteristics of vegetation in a THz range.The theoretical path loss model near the vegetation yields the average attenuation of THz waves in a mixed channel composed of air and vegetation leaves.Furthermore,a simplified model of the vegetation structure is obtained for generic vegetation types based on a variety of parameters,such as leaf size,distribution,and moisture content.Finally,based on specific vegetation species and different levels of air humidity,the attenuation characteristics under different conditions are calculated,and the influence of different model parameters on the attenuation characteristics is obtained.

Floristic and structural analysis of the woodland vegetation around Dello Menna,Southeast Ethiopia

Floristic composition and vegetation structure were described for the woodland vegetation around Dello Menna, Bale zone, southeast Ethiopia. A total 50 （20 m ×20 m） quadrats were sampled to identify and describe plant community types, species diversity, richness and evenness and to relate the identified plant community types with some environ- mental factors and describe the population structure of woody plant species. In each quadrrat, data on species identity, abundance, height and Diameter at Breast Height （DBH） of woody plant species, altitude and slope were recorded. Vegetation classification was performed using PC - ORD software package. Sorensen＇s similarity coefficient was used to detect dissimilarities among communities. Shannon - Wiener diversity index, species richness and Shannon＇s evenness were computed to de- scribe species diversity of the plant community types. Results show that a total of 171 vascular plant species representing 53 families were re- corded. Fabaceae is the dominant family represented by 13 genera and 26 species （15%） followed by Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Anacardiaceae with eight species each （4.6%）. Based on the results of vegetation classi- fication, three plant communities （Dalbergia microphylla community, Grewia bicolar- Acacia brevispica community, and Combretum molle- Combretum collinum community） are recognized and described. Species richness, diversity and evenness varied among the plant communities.Species richness and diversity exhibit a bell - shaped pattern along alti- tude. Species turn over among communities more or less follow altitud- inal gradients. Tukey＇s pairwise comparison of means among the plant community types shows significant variations in altitude, implying that altitude is one of the most important factors determining the distribution of plant communities. The community Dalbergia microphylla type exhibits the highest species richness and diversity. Analysis of population structure of the dominant species reveals various patterns. Future research directions and recommendations are suggested for the sustainable utilization.

Effect of abiotic factors on understory community structures in moist deciduous forests of northern India

Understory vegetation controls, in a significant way, the regeneration of overstory trees, carbon sequestration and nutrient retention in tropical forests. Development and organization of understory vegetation depend on climate, edaphic and biotic factors which are not well correlated with plant community structures. This study aimed to explore the relationships between understory vegetation and abiotic factors in natural and planted forest ecosystems. A non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMS) ordination technique was applied to represent forest understory vegetation among five forest communities, i.e., a dry miscellaneous forest(DMF), a sal mixed forest(SMF), a teak plantation(TP), a low-land miscellaneous forest(LMF) and a savanna area(SAV) of the Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, located in northern India. Microclimatic variables, such as photosynthetically active radiation(PAR), air temperature(AT), soil temperature(ST), ambient atmospheric CO 2 concentration, absolute air humidity(AH), physical and chemical soil properties as well as biological properties were measured. Understory species were assessed via 100 random quadrats(5 m × 5 m) in each of the five forests in which a total of 75 species were recorded encompassing 67 genera from 37 families, consisting of 32 shrubs and 43 plant saplings. DMF was the most dense forest with 34,068 understory individuals per ha of different species, whereas the lowest understory population(13,900 per ha) was observed in the savanna. Ordination and correlation revealed that microclimate factors are most important in their effect compared to edaphic factors, on the development of understory vegetation in the various forest communities in the north of India.

Status,structure and environmental variations in semi-arid mangroves of India

The semi-arid mangroves of the Gulf of Kachchh,the largest ecosystems on the west coast of India,are poorly studied in terms of vegetation structure and environmental parameters in spite of their conservation significance.Therefore,it is necessary to document the structural features of these mangroves in view of ongoing coastal industrial development.Mangrove forest structure in 10 locations on the northern and southern coasts of the Gulf of Kachchh were assessed using the line intercept transect method.Descriptions included density of young and mature age classes,tree heights,diameters at breast height(DBH)and aboveground biomass,along with seven significant environmental variables.Mature tree densities ranged from 350 to 1567 ind.ha-1,while average height and girth at breast height ranged from 1.0 to 6.8 m and 3.0 to 137.0 cm,respectively.The majority of trees(55.6%)were in B 1.8 m height class followed by a 1.9 to 2.4 m class(25.1%).DBH was most often in class 2 cm or lower than that.Among the canopy index classes,more trees were recorded in class ≤2 cm.The regeneration density was greater than the recruitment class.This study indicates that the poor structural attributes of Avicennia marina Vierth.var.acutissima Stapf and Mold dominated mangroves are largely due to aridity induced by scarce and erratic rainfall and high soil and water salinities.The results should be valuable in conserving and sustainably managing these mangroves in the face of developmental activities.

Shade coffee plantations maintain woody plant diversity and structure in a cloud forest landscape of southern Mexico

Cloud forest ecosystems of the Latin American tropics are highly threatened by changes in land-use such as expanding croplands and livestock pastures that promote shifts in the structure and composition of plant communities in these forests.However,shade coffee plantations represent a forest management alternative that has been shown to maintain biodiversity in these ecosystems.In this study,we evaluated changes in the composition,diversity,and structure of Mexican cloud-forest woody species for three land use categories:cattle pastures,shade coffee plantations and advanced succession forests.For each category,fifteen 0.28-ha plots were established and the composition and diversity of vegetation was noted.Composition of species was analyzed using ordination methods,and alpha diversity was compared using Hill numbers.Seventy-seven woody species belonging to 40 families were recorded.Species richness and diversity was high in both the advanced successional forest and coffee plantations compared to cattle pastures.Vegetation composition and structure was similar between late succession forests and coffee plantations with both land uses also being more structurally complex than cattle pastures.Our results show how shade coffee cultivation is a land-use activity that maintains woody plant communities in a manner that aligns with biodiversity conservation.

Identification of habitat requirements of farmland birds based on a hierarchical structured monitoring scheme

Agricultural landscapes are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, a negative trend continues to be observed in many rural areas for the most prominent indicator species group, the farmland birds. However, clear cause-effect relationships are rarely reported and sometimes difficult to deduce, especially from monitoring data which are based only on the detection of species and counts of the numbers of individuals. Because the identification of habitat preferences is a precondition for farmland bird biodiversity conservation efforts, a monitoring scheme for the simultaneous collection and analysis of bird and land use data was developed and tested. In order to assign the occurrence of bird species to land characteristics at various spatial scales and different land use and crop types, we applied a hierarchical structured sampling design. The spatial scales were ‘agricultural landscape', ‘agricultural landscape types', ‘field crops and other habitats' and ‘vegetation structures'. These scales were integrated with a novel concept, the ‘habitat matrix'(HM). This method was applied to farmland breeding bird abundances on 29 plots, each 1 km2 in size, by the use of the territory mapping method. The same plots were enlarged by a 100 m buffer and the sizes and location of habitats documented. Vegetation height, coverage and density were also recorded for all crop fields in the study area. We propose that this monitoring method facilitates the identification of scale dependent relationships between farmland bird habitat characteristics and bird abundance. This is demonstrated by the farmland bird species Corn Bunting(Emberiza calandra), Skylark(Alauda arvensis), and Whinchat(Saxicola rubetra). The breeding territories of these species reveal large differences within the various spatial scales ‘agricultural landscape', ‘agricultural landscape types' and ‘field crops'. Throughout the breeding season the abundances varied, dependent on the field crop and the development of vegetation structures(height, coverage, and density). HM-analysis led to the identification of specific habitat configurations preferred by individual bird species within the agricultural landscape. These findings indicate that the methodology has the potential to design monitoring schemes for the identification of cause-and-effects of landscape configuration, land use and land use changes on the habitat suitability and abundance of farmland birds.

Inversion of Biochemical Parameters by Selection of Proper Vegetation Index in Winter Wheat

Recent studies have demonstrated the application of vegetation indices from canopy reflectedspectrum for inversion of chlorophyll concentration. Some indices are both response tovariations of vegetation and environmental factors. Canopy chlorophyll concentration, anindicator of photosynthesis activity, is related to nitrogen concentration in green vegetationand serves as an indicator of the crop response to soil nitrogen fertilizer application. Thecombination of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and photochemical reflectanceindex (PRI) can reduce the effect of leaf area index (LAI) and soil background. The canopychlorophyll inversion index (CCII) was proved to be sensitive to chlorophyll concentration andvery resistant to the other variations. This paper introduced the ratio of TCARI/OSAVI to makeaccurate predictions of winter wheat chlorophyll concentration under different cultivars. Itindicated that canopy chlorophyll concentration could be evaluated by some combined vegetationindices.

The effects of vegetation on runoff and soil loss:Multidimensional structure analysis and scale characteristics

This review summarizes the effects of vegetation on runoff and soil loss in three dimensions: vertical vegetation structures(aboveground vegetation cover, surface litter layer and underground roots), plant diversity, vegetation patterns and their scale characteristics. Quantitative relationships between vegetation factors with runoff and soil loss are described. A framework for describing relationships involving vegetation, erosion and scale is proposed. The relative importance of each vegetation dimension for various erosion processes changes across scales. With the development of erosion features(i.e., splash, interrill, rill and gully), the main factor of vertical vegetation structures in controlling runoff and soil loss changes from aboveground biomass to roots. Plant diversity levels are correlated with vertical vegetation structures and play a key role at small scales, while vegetation patterns also maintain a critical function across scales(i.e., patch, slope, catchment and basin/region). Several topics for future study are proposed in this review, such as to determine efficient vegetation architectures for ecological restoration, to consider the dynamics of vegetation patterns, and to identify the interactions involving the three dimensions of vegetation.

Wildland fires and moist deciduous forests of Chhattisgarh, India: divergent component assessment

We studied moist deciduous forests of Chhattisgarh, India （1） to assess the effect of four levels of historic wildland fire frequency （high, medium, low, and no-fire） on regeneration of seedlings in fire affected areas during pre and post-fire seasons, （2） to evaluate vegetation struc- ture and diversity by layer in the four fire frequency zones, （3） to evalu- ate the impact of fire frequency on the structure of economically impor- tant tree species of the region, and （4） to quantify fuel loads by fire fre- quency level. We classified fire-affected areas into high, medium, low, and no-fire frequency classes based on government records. Tree species were unevenly distributed across fire frequency categories. Shrub density was maximum in zones of high fire frequency and minimum in low- frequency and no-fire zones. Lower tree density after fires indicated that regeneration of seedlings was reduced by fire. The population structure in the high-frequency zone was comprised of seedlings of size class （A） and saplings of size class （B）, represented by Diospyros melanoxylon, Dalbergia sissoo, Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis. Younger and older trees were more abundant for Tectona grandis and Dalbargia sis- soo after fire, whereas intermediate-aged trees were more abundant pre- fire, indicating that the latter age-class was thinned by the catastrophic effect of fire. The major contributing components of fuel load included duff litter and small woody branches and twigs on the forest floor. Total fuel load on the forest floor ranged from 2.2 to 3.38 Mg/ha. The netchange in fuel load was positive in high- and medium-frequency fire zones and negative under low- and no-fire zones. Repeated fires, how- ever, slowly reduced stand stability. An ecological approach is needed for fire management to restore the no-fire spatial and temporal structure of moist deciduous forests, their species composition and fuel loads. The management approach should incorporate participatory forest manage- ment. Use of controlled fire, fire lines and mapping of fire prone areas are fundamental principles of fire hazard reduction in these areas.

Paleoenvironmental implications of Holocene long-chain n-alkanes on the northern Bering Sea Slope

The records of high-resolution terrestrial biological markers （biomarkers） from Core B2-9 from the northern Bering Sea Slope over the last 9.6 ka BP were presented in the study. Variations in input of terrestrial long-chain n-alkanes （referred to as n-alkanes） and vegetation structure in their source regions were investigated. The results show that the nCz7 is the main carbon peak and has the greatest contribution rate of the total n-alkane content; this might be related to the abundance of woody plants and their spatial distribution in the source region, nC23 is another n-alkane having a relatively high content; this was mainly derived from submerged plants widespread along the coastal areas in the northern hemisphere. Total n-alkane content dropped quickly at ca. 7.8 ka BP, ca. 6.7 ka BP and ca. 5.4 ka BP, and was followed by four relatively stable stages mostly controlled by sea-level rise, climate change and vegetation distribution in the source region. Variation in carbon preference index （CPI） indicates that the n-alkanes primarily originated from higher land plants, and the average chain length （ACL） and nCa1/nC27 ratio reveal the relatively stable presence of woody/herbaceous plants during the Holocene, and dominate woody plants in most of the time. Simultaneous variation in total n-alkane content, nC27 content and its contribution, CPI, ACL and nC31/nC27 ratio over several short periods suggest that the growth rate of the woody plant n-alkane contribution was lower than that of herbaceous plants and fossil n-alkanes under the particular climatic conditions of the source region.

Effectiveness of nature reserves for bird conservation in urban parks in Tokyo

In some urban parks in Tokyo,semi-natural habitat patches are maintained as nature reserves for birds,called bird sanctuaries.Bird censuses and vegetation surveys were conducted in eight urban parks in Tokyo from December 2015 to July 2016 to determine the effectiveness of bird sanctuaries on avian species composition.The relationship between avian species composition and environmental conditions was analyzed by partial redundancy analysis(partial RDA)using vegetation variables,number of visitors,presence or absence of reserves within the same park,area of wooded parts,and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)in the surrounding area.The results of the partial RDA are as follows:(1)Area,lower vegetation cover,higher vegetation cover,tree species composition obtained from detrended correspondence analysis(DCA)on vegetation survey data,and NDVI in the surrounding area were considered as covariates and explained 17.4-33.6%of the total variation in bird species composition,(2)The presence or absence of sanctuary significantly explained bird species compositional variation regardless of season,indicating that the sanctuaries were beneficial for urban avoider species not only in the sanctuaries but also in the surrounding wooded area,and(3)Tree coverage within a 100 m range and leaf litter coverage also influenced avian species composition.We concluded that bird sanctuaries and other nature reserves can be beneficial to bird conservation,even within Tokyo.The positive effect of sanctuaries could be due to the limited influence of human presence and the developed vegetation within them.These reserves may play the role of core habitats within the studied urban parks.

Regeneration and Tree Species Diversity of Sitakund Botanical Garden and Eco-Park,Chittagong,Bangladesh

Anthropogenic disturbances influence plant regeneration and species diversity, which impact the conservation status of protected areas. A study was conducted in the Sitakund Botanical Garden and Eco-park （SBGE）, Chittagong, Bangladesh to analyze the natural regeneration and tree species diversity in disturbed and less disturbed zones. Stratified and systematic random sampling was used to select 50 sample plots from each of the two zones. A total number of 109 plant species from 43 families were recorded in the study; of which 93 species were of natural origin while the rest were planted. From the species with natural origin 66 were tree species, 9 were shrub species and 28 were climbers. Species richness, density of regeneration and disturbance index in the height classes （0- 0.5 m） and {dbh 〉 6 cm） indicated significant differences between the zones. The study analyzed how disturbances affect species diversity in the area. It was found that species richness and basal area are negatively related with disturbances. Moreover, density （N/ha） of trees was more likely to decrease with increasing tree height that reflects the huge demand of local people to harvest large trees as part of their income generating activities. The study findings have implications for future managementdecisions of the SGBE. To restore these ecosystems, management should focus on both biodiversity eonservation and providing benefits to local people without hampering forest ecosystems.

WETLAND RESOURCES INVESTIGATION IN URBAN PARKS BASED ON QUICKBIRD REMOTE SENSING IMAGE IN JINAN,CHINA

Wetlands in urban area are an important part of environment. The status of wetland is tightly related with the security and sustainable development of urban ecosystem and society. Jinan is the capital of Shandong province, China. It is the centre of culture and economy of this province and famous for its springs. So it has important meaning to survey the wetland resources of the urban parks. In this study, the quantity and location of various vegetation types and water areas were obtained using manual classification on QUICKBIRD images. Study results showed that arbor vegetation was domain green land type in the urban parks, so the vegetation structure in parks was reasonable; water quality of the wetlands in the parks was poor, and eutrophication phenomena was obvious in some water areas; the quantity of the water areas has been declined. Through the surveying, we should think that it is a big challenge for the government to protect and restore wetland resources in the parks from 2 respects of quantity and quality in urban area.

Development of a modified thermal humidity index and its application to human thermal comfort of urban vegetation patches

Extremely hot environments can trigger serious health problems.To evaluate the effects of microclimate on thermal comfort,we proposed and validated a modified thermal humidity index(MTHI)that combined air temperature and relative humidity with land surface temperature(LST).MTHI was more sensitive to microclimate changes than the general thermal humidity index that includes only T and RH,and thus the thermal comfort could be better indicated.In an urban riparian buffer study,we estimated the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of MTHI values for 47 vegetation patches and explored how structural characteristics of patches affect the thermal comfort.The results showed that planting could significantly reduce LST and MTHI.Vegetation patches with complex vertical structures had considerably higher thermal comfort than those with simple structures.Decreasing nearest distance to river or increasing plant abundance could reduce the thermal discomfort.There were significant differences in the structure characteristics between the patches with MTHI<70 and those with MTHI>70,implying the critical thresholds of variations in thermal comfort with patch structure.Given that people always feel uncomfortable during the daytime in July,optimizing the patch structure is essential to improve the microclimate regulation services of an urban landscape.

Distribution and space use of seed-dispersing rodents in central Pyrenees:implications for genetic diversity,conservation and plant recruitment

The function and conservation of many forest ecosystems depend on the distribution and diversity of the community of rodents that consume and disperse seeds.The habitat preferences and interactions are especially relevant in alpine systems where such granivorous rodents reach the southernmost limit of their distribution and are especially sensitive to global warming.We analyzed the community of granivorous rodents in the Pyrenees,one of the southernmost mountain ranges of Europe.Rodent species were identified by DNA with particular attention to the Apodemus species,which are prominent seed-dispersing rodents in Europe.We confirmed for the first time the presence of the yellow-necked mouse,Apodemus flavicollis,in central Pyrenees,a typical Eurosiberian species that reaches its southernmost distribution limit in this area.We also found the wood mouse,Apodemus sylvaticus,a related species more tolerant to Mediterranean environments.Both rodents were spatially segregated by altitude.A.sylvaticus was rare at high altitudes,which might cause the genetic differentiation between populations of the different valleys reported here.We also found other seed consumers like dormice,Elyomis quercinus,and voles,Myodes glareolus,with marked habitat preferences.We suggest that population isolation among valleys may increase the genetic diversity of rodents,like A.sylvaticus.We also highlight the potential threat that global warming may represent for species linked to high-altitude refuges at the southern edge of its distribution,like Apodemus flavicollis.Finally,we discuss how this threat may have a dimension in the conservation of alpine forests dispersed by these rodent populations.