This study deals with the species distribution and structure of mite communities living in the fur of small mammals. Mesostigmatic mites (Acarina: Mesostigmata) of several small mammal species were studied at several sites of Slovakia situated in the Podunajská nížna lowland. The aims deal with ecological evaluation of mesostigmatic mites and their small mammal hosts. The research was done from 2005 to 2007. Several small mammal species were caught at 16 sites in the research area. These represent 13 types of biotopes. On the captured small mammals we recorded 3,141 individuals of mesostigmatic mites (7 families and 22 species). The dominance and the diversity of the recorded mites were analysed. Mites being interpreted as the variable one were evaluated by cluster analysis and multifactor analysis (detrended correspondence analysis, principal components analysis, redundancy analysis). Small terrestrial mammals as hosts of mites represent “holders” of environmental factors, in the analysis they are being evaluated as explanatory variable mainly. They transform direct impact of the environment and for that reason the ecological evaluation of mites is specific comparing to other taxonomical and ecological groups of animals.

Range expansion, as an extension of the normal colonization process, is followed by establishment and an increase in abundance. Combining conventional methods with citizen science, a new area of striped field mouse occurrence in Slovakia and progress of their establishment has been investigated. In 2024, fifty years after the first notes of striped field mice spread in eastern Slovakia, the species spread to next ca. 18,600 km^2, representing a 135% increase in species occurrence compared to its initial occurrence in 1973. We observed a dynamic increase of striped field mouse dominance with a peak between 2.7 and 6.8 years after site colonization, followed by a decrease in dominance with a nonsignificant seasonal effect. Results suggested that this rise of dominance is a sign of establishment and “expansion front” overcoming, and represents a mechanism of the spread to other areas.

Urbanisation significantly influences ecological change, but its long-term effects on small mammal communities remain underexplored in Central Europe. This study examines temporal and spatial changes in small mammals across three urban zones (pericentral, peripheral, and suburban) in Nitra, Slovakia, across two trapping periods (2012–2015 and 2019–2024). A total of 1,519 individuals from 14 species were recorded, with higher abundance and species richness during the first period. The striped field mouse ( Apodemus agrarius ) was only detected in the second period, indicating a recent range expansion. Species diversity varied significantly among urban zones in both periods, with higher diversity in less urbanised areas. However, spatial differences in abundance were only significant during the first period, suggesting possible homogenisation over time. Community composition was greatly affected by both time and urban zone, with noticeable zone-specific changes. The results also indicate ongoing synanthropization, marked by a decline in forest-associated species and a rise in generalists and urban-tolerant taxa. Seasonal changes showed a similar pattern of capture success in all zones, with the highest success rate in autumn. These findings highlight the constantly changing nature of urban ecosystems, which may be of particular interest and stimulate further discussion about how urban structure, landscape context, and time influence small mammal communities. Long-term monitoring and ecologically informed urban planning are crucial for preserving biodiversity in these dynamic settings.

Changes in the structure of small mammals’ communities (Eulipotyphla, Rodentia) along urban–rural gradient indicate the environmental state of stability or instability. Since small mammals are important with regard to the transmission of diseases to man and domestic animals, therefore knowledge of their association with the landscape structure is needed in land use planning. In course of the period from 2015 to 2017, there were recorded 109 individuals belonging to 15 species at 9 study sites (3 rural, 3 suburban, and 3 urban). We recorded a decrease in the average number of species in the direction of the suburban–urban–rural gradient. The number of individuals decreased in the rural–urban–suburban gradient. Eudominant species Clethrionomys glareolus (D = 20.2%), Microtus arvalis (13.8%), and Sorex araneus (19.3%) preferred the close links between the terms of the rural landscape, while Apodemus agrarius (D = 11.9%) and Sorex minutus (D = 11.0%) preferred the close links between the terms of the urban landscape.