Numerical Response of a Mammalian Specialist Predator to Multiple Prey Dynamics in Mediterranean Farmlands

Weasels are bite‐sized predators highly specialized on small rodents and hypothesized to cause the population cycles of these prey in northern Europe. We studied the numerical response of the common weasel (Mustela nivalis) to fluctuating abundances of common voles (Microtus arvalis) in southern Europe. We show that both predator and prey exhibited multi‐annual cycles with a 3‐year period. Weasels responded numerically to changes in vole abundance with a time‐lag that did not exceed 4 months, incompatible with the hypothesis that weasels cause the observed common vole cycles. These photographs illustrate the article “Numerical response of a mammalian specialist predator to multiple prey dynamics in Mediterranean farmlands” by Fran？ois Mougeot, Xavier Lambin, Ruth Rodríguez‐Pastor, Juan Romairone, and Juan‐José Luque‐Larena published in Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.277