Habitat selection of alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) in southern Pyrenees [Choix de l'habitat de la marmotte alpine (Marmota marmota) dans le sud des Pyrénées].

Résumé

Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota) were introduced in the French Pyrenees between 1954 and 1988. They rapidly moved to southern Pyrenees, probably due to the good conditions and the lack of important predators in the region. In less than 50 years, the marmot population in southern Pyrenees has notably increased, and the only existing estimate calculates a population of around 10000 individuals. In order to understand the reasons for their fast and successful colonization in Southern Pyrenees, an intensive study was carried out in 2007, both at macroscale (800 plots of 1 km2) and at microscale (ca. 60 km2 intensively sampled, with ca. 300 family units and 300 random plots measured).K Results show that factors influencing marmots establishment at macroscale (March temperature, soil type and the presence of meadows) are different than those affecting the density of burrow sites also at macroscale (talus and wetland vegetation); but they also differ from those variables that affect the establishment of marmots at microscale (distance to rivers, woody cover, presence of big rocks in alpine meadows, and the presence of dry stone walls at low altitudes). Globally, our results demonstrate the hierarchization of factors in habitat selection. We will discuss the implications of our results for the future expansion of alpine marmots in Southern Pyrenees.