Gliridae now number fewer than 30 species, but they are the surviving remnants of what was once a widespread and numerous group of rodents. Three subfamilies: Graphiurinae (Graphiurus); Leithiinae (Chaetocauda, Dryomys, Eliomys, Muscardinus, Myomimus, and Selevinia); and Glirinae (Glirulus and Glis). Gliridae is an Old World family. Its members are found in sub-saharan Africa, in Europe north to southern Scandinavia, and in Asia east to southern China and Japan.
The International Dormouse Conference (IDC): organised every three years to gather scientists, conservationists, naturalists and volunteers to exchange knowledge and experience on dormice (Gliridae). Previous conferences have been held in Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Italy, UK, and Hungary.
Delegates: ~ 80 delegates from 20 countries: France, Germany, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Czech Republic, Lativia, Lithuania, UK, Bulgaria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Ukraine, Italy, Switzerland & Greece. Missing: Japan, Iran, African countries.
Scientific committee: Pat Morris (United Kingdom), Rimvydas Juškaitis (Lithuania), Boris Kryštufek (Slovenia), Peter Adamik (Czech Republik), Sandro Bertolino (Italy), Joanna Fietz (Germany), Sven Büchner (Germany), & Alice Mouton (Belgium).
- Ecology: general biology, changes in body mass, feeding ecology, breeding & seed production, climatic impacts on survival & senescence
- Physiology & behaviour: stress hormones, gastrointestinal tract histology, communal nesting, size variation
- Methods: remote sensing of hibernaculum, citizen science monitoring in Spain & Germany, AI acoustic detection & identification, eDNA, issues with monitoring protocols
- Habitat use: call activity for biodiversity surveys, use of contrasting habitats (urban & rural), Glis activity in caves
- Genetics & evolution: evolutionary history, population genomics, use of conservation genomics to identify reasons for decline
- Distribution & monitoring: 30 year trends in the UK, monitoring data for IUCN status assessment, non-native invasion
- Mortality: predation (scat analysis, camera trap study at cave entrance), pollutants, pesticides, road mortality
- Conservation: road bridges, captive breeding & release, translocation mitigation, habitat management & connectivity
Highlights:
- Garden dormouse research programme, Germany
- First study on ecology of Roach's mouse-tailed dormouse, Bulgaria
- Use of new technology
- Collaborative Conservation status of dormice in Europe
- Invitation to join European Mammal Conservation Network
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Credits:
Created with images by Geza Farkas - "Cute Dormouse, Glis glis on the branch" • belyaaa - "Little hazel dormouse climb the twigs in nature. Muscardinus avellanarius."