Experimental removal was conducted to test interspecific competition between the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 17801 that dominate the rodent communities in the forested biotopes through most of central Europe. Population density, body mass, reproductive condition, and habitat use were compared among two experimental sites (where one of the species had been removed) and one control site. The 5-year-studv included pre- -removal, removal, and post-removal periods. Reproductive condition was not affected by the density of the competitor or the conspecifics. Also, we did not detected any habitat shift that could be related to competitive release. However, the removal of wood mice strongly affected the population density of bank voles, but the removal of bank voles affected density of wood mice only slightly. Thus, we conclude that the competitive effect was asymmetrical.
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