Differential responses of coexisting owls to annual small mammal population fluctuations in temperate mixed forest

Montane temperate forests in central and southern Europe host diverse small mammal assemblages, but the fluctuations these assemblages correlation with owl predators are still poorly explored. The key questions of our study were how coexisting owls responded to different prey whether any particular species governed predator–prey co-dynamics. We conducted a long-term (2004–2020) low-elevation (300–1100 m above sea level) mixed Beech Silver Fir forest northern Dinaric Alps (central Slovenia). Monitoring data on main groups – mice Muridae, voles Cricetidae, dormice Gliridae shrews Soricidae three Ural Owl Strix uralensis, Tawny aluco Boreal Aegolius funereus collected annually. To find relationships between predator populations, we used two types supervised machine learning approaches addressed predictive modelling tasks multi-target regression. dominant assemblage, Yellow-necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis, had role determining populations their breeding performance. noted higher sensitivity boreal zone (Boreal Owl), which reach distribution limit Alps, whereas (Tawny Owl) seemed be less affected. In years shortage, was found presumably abandon its territories, suppressed sustained activity by shifting selection. Low-elevation appeared suboptimal habitat for competitive subordinate Owl, may exploit occasional outbreaks habitats even presence larger competitors. Whether can play maintaining threatened cold-adapted face recent ecosystem changes due climate environmental remains an open scientific question.