Teruuchi A., Sato M., Oshida T. 2025. Nest material usage in the small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus) on Hokkaido Island, Japan // Russian J. Theriol. Vol.24. No.2. P.101–107 [in English].
Ayumu Teruuchi [ayu-wildlife@outlook.jp] & Tatsuo Oshida [oshidata@obihiro.ac.jp], Laboratory of Wildlife Biology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan; Masatoshi Sato [satomasa@obihiro.ac.jp], Laboratory of Vegetation Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan.
doi: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.24.2.03
ABSTRACT. Mammals that build the nests utilize various nesting materials, such as leaves. However, the selectivity of these materials has not been studied in detail for each species. In this study, we tested whether the dominant nesting resources within habitats are more frequently used for nest building by the small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus), a semi-arboreal species endemic to Japan. We established two study sites in Hokkaido, Japan, with different vegetation types: one in a natural deciduous broad-leaved forest in Ashoro and the other in a secondary mixed conifer-broadleaf forest in Obihiro. Using nest boxes, we collected nesting materials (leaves) and compared them between the two study sites. For tree leaves, A. argenteus primarily used Quercus crispula and Betula platyphylla in Ashoro and Obihiro, respectively. These results suggest that this mouse frequently used the dominant nesting resources in the habitat. Sasa nipponica, a commonly observed floor plant in Hokkaido, was frequently used at both study sites, suggesting that it could be a stable nesting resource for A. argenteus in different habitats. This study showed that the combination of tree and floor plant leaves may be more effective for nest building than using either tree or floor plant leaves alone.
KEY WORDS: arboreal rodent, Betula platyphylla, leaves, nest box, Quercus crispula, Sasa nipponica.