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Impact of forest patch characteristics on small mammal communities: a multivariate approach
We used multivariate analysis to investigate the principal factors affecting forest-floor small mammal occurrence in 80 previously cut and uncut forest patches in temperate woodlands across southern Illinois, USA. Peromyscus leucopus comprised 82.3 % of 836 individuals caught during 24,000 trapnight...
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Published in: | Biological conservation 2001-06, Vol.99 (3), p.293-305 |
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Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | We used multivariate analysis to investigate the principal factors affecting forest-floor small mammal occurrence in 80 previously cut and uncut forest patches in temperate woodlands across southern Illinois, USA.
Peromyscus leucopus comprised 82.3 % of 836 individuals caught during 24,000 trapnights, followed by
Blarina carolinensis,
Ochrotomys nuttalli,
Tamias striatus and
Microtus pinetorum. Small mammal abundances differed between years, possibly due to high winter mortality. Principal component analysis identified three significant environmental gradients, forest structure, forest composition and temperature conditions. Vegetation, rather than spatial characteristics, dominated these gradients.
P. leucopus and
O. nuttalli abundances were inversely related to forest age and canopy height.
B. carolinensis related to temperature conditions. Combined small mammal captures related to forest structure and forest composition. Because heterogeneous forested landscapes differ greatly in spatial and temporal characteristics, extrapolating general small mammal conservation strategies may prove difficult. Integrating habitat restoration with conservation may be more efficient. |
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ISSN: | 0006-3207 1873-2917 |
DOI: | 10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00195-6 |