Broad-leaved Forest’s Impact on Spontaneous Activities of Mice and their Mental State

Abstract

Empirical studies on the effects of urban forests on the health of humans and other animals are needed to rationalize the construction of urban forests for healthcare. The effects of urban forests (coniferous, broad-leaved, and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved) were studied relative to the physical and mental health of mice and the major environmental factors influencing them. Compared with the control group, the total movement distance of the mice that stayed in the coniferous forest, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, and broad-leaved forest increased 9.7% to 18.1%, the central grid movement distance increased 7.2% to 23.9%, central grid dwell time increased 10.7% to 16.3%, and the number of entries increased 5.2% to 18.6%, indicating that the mental state and the exploration and cognitive abilities of mice were significantly improved in the three urban forests. The broad-leaved forest had greater positive effects than the other two forest types. This can be attributed to a decrease in temperature and the increases in humidity and concentrations of oxygen and negative ions in the air in the broad-leaved forest. The research results provide a theoretical basis for building urban forests that are beneficial to the health of urban residents.