ABSTRACT
About ten species in the genus Apodemus occur throughout the Palaearctic region. The wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus, and the yellow-necked mouse, A. flavicollis, have been studied widely. Apodemus species are often the dominant species in rodent communities of deciduous and coniferous woodland and also frequent nonclimax and manmade habitats. Hence they have attracted considerable attention with respect to population regulation, energetics, and their effects on the regeneration of forest trees. Two census methods are considered; capture-mark-recapture techniques are favored by ecologists investigating dynamics and regulation of numbers, while removal methods are used most often in the investigation of secondary productivity. Trap line indexes may also be used to indicate relative abundance in different places and at different times.
