Small mammal relative abundance within riparian ecosystems of the Blue Mountains

Abstract The prey composition of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) can be monitored indirectly by pellet analysis and we used this method to investigate less known small mammal species of Zala County. The number and abundance of small mammal species depend on the structure of the landscape of Barn Owls’ hunting area, therefore we analysed landscape features in the surrounding circles with 2 km radius around the sampling sites. In 2016 we collected 1106 pellets from 13 sampling localities. From the pellets we identified 21 species of 3022 individuals of small mammals (more than 98% of prey). Among the 21 species there was the rare Parti-colured Bat (Vespertilio murinus) and a new species for the county the Steppe Mouse (Mus spicilegus). Positive correlation was found between the diversity of the small mammal fauna of each sampling site and the landscape complexity (number of the landscape patches) of the Barn Owl hunting area. Relative abundance of the Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) showed positive correlation with the number of landscape patches, while the abundance of the Lesser White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura suaveolens), the Miller’s Water Shrew (Neomys anomalus), the Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius) and the Harvest Mouse (Micromys minutus) was higher in hunting areas with more homogenous landscapes. Significant correlations were found between the relative abundance of some small mammal species and the landscape structure of the potential hunting area of owls that confirmed the consistency in habitat preference of some species. Our results proved that the prey-composition of Barn Owls reflects the land use through the distribution and abundance of small mammal species, therefore this method is suitable for ecological analyses of landscape.

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Effects of land use, habitat characteristics, and small mammal community composition on Leptospira prevalence in northeast Madagascar

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1371/journal.pntd.0008946 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. e0008946

Author(s):

James P. Herrera ◽

Natalie R. Wickenkamp ◽

Magali Turpin ◽

Fiona Baudino ◽

Pablo Tortosa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Introduced Species ◽

Community Composition ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Native Species ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Mammal Community

Human activities can increase or decrease risks of acquiring a zoonotic disease, notably by affecting the composition and abundance of hosts. This study investigated the links between land use and infectious disease risk in northeast Madagascar, where human subsistence activities and population growth are encroaching on native habitats and the associated biota. We collected new data on pathogenic Leptospira, which are bacteria maintained in small mammal reservoirs. Transmission can occur through close contact, but most frequently through indirect contact with water contaminated by the urine of infected hosts. The probability of infection and prevalence was compared across a gradient of natural moist evergreen forest, nearby forest fragments, flooded rice and other types of agricultural fields, and in homes in a rural village. Using these data, we tested specific hypotheses for how land use alters ecological communities and influences disease transmission. The relative abundance and proportion of exotic species was highest in the anthropogenic habitats, while the relative abundance of native species was highest in the forested habitats. Prevalence of Leptospira was significantly higher in introduced compared to endemic species. Lastly, the probability of infection with Leptospira was highest in introduced small mammal species, and lower in forest fragments compared to other habitat types. Our results highlight how human land use affects the small mammal community composition and in turn disease dynamics. Introduced species likely transmit Leptospira to native species where they co-occur, and may displace the Leptospira species naturally occurring in Madagascar. The frequent spatial overlap of people and introduced species likely also has consequences for public health.

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Relative abundance of the Prairie Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata longicauda) in southwestern Alberta

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v127i2.1443 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 127 (2) ◽

pp. 131

Author(s):

Garry E. Hornbeck ◽

Dan Soprovich

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽

Capture Probability ◽

Deer Mice ◽

Microtus Spp ◽

Capture Rates

Prairie Long-tailed Weasels (Mustela frenata longicauda) were live-trapped during fall 2005, 2006, and 2007 at Pine Coulee Reservoir and during fall 2005, 2008, and 2010 at Twin Valley Reservoir in southwestern Alberta. Our objective was to estimate the relative abundance of the Long-tailed Weasel and to estimate the relative abundance of small mammal prey. Body size and capture rates are reported for Long-tailed Weasels, and we report capture rates of small mammals. Annual capture rates for Long-tailed Weasels at Pine Coulee Reservoir were 0.44, 0.41, and 0.50 individuals per 100 corrected trap-nights (0.42, 0.38, and 0.48 individuals/100 trap-nights) in 2005, 2006, and 2007, respectively. No Long-tailed Weasels were captured at Twin Valley Reservoir. The probability of capturing zero Long-tailed Weasels at Twin Valley Reservoir was very low, assuming a true capture probability equivalent to that observed at Pine Coulee Reservoir. Deer Mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were the most abundant small mammals captured in both project areas. Few shrews (Sorex spp.) and voles (Microtus spp.) were captured in either area.

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Diet and Prey Consumption Rates of Nesting Boreal Owls, Aegolius funereus, in Alaska

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v123i2.688 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 123 (2) ◽

pp. 112

Author(s):

Jackson S. Whitman

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Prey Consumption ◽

Dietary Composition ◽

Potential Prey ◽

Laboratory Examination ◽

Aegolius Funereus ◽

Nest Boxes ◽

Consumption Rates ◽

Prey Items

Dietary composition and prey consumption rates of nesting Boreal Owls, Aegolius funereus, were investigated during 2004–2006 using two methods. Dietary composition was determined during nest visits through examination of 1882 fresh remains containing at least 11 mammalian and 15 avian species. Consumption rates were calculated based on laboratory examination of seven prey detritus bricks following fledging, yielding 1051 items of five different taxa. During 2003–2006, small mammal snap-trapping was conducted in the vicinity of occupied nest boxes, and relative abundance of potential prey items was estimated. A total of 4020 trap-nights yielded 695 small mammal captures of eight species. Consumption rates of nestling owls ranged from 22.0 to 29.7 g of food per day, averaging 24.2 g (SD = 1.8). Comparisons between availability of small mammals (as indicated by snap-trapping) and consumption (as indicated by nest visits and analysis of prey detritus bricks) showed that Boreal Owls are generally preying on mammals proportionate to their occurrence.

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Habitat associations of small mammals in farmed landscapes: implications for agri-environmental schemes

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/157075607781753092 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 301-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Salvador Peris ◽

Carlos Rodríguez

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Common Vole ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Mus Spretus ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Eastern Area ◽

Small Mammal Species

AbstractThe small mammal community in 21 localities of north-western Spain was evaluated in the light of land use composition. The two geomorphologic categories characterising the study area, the main use of the land (arable/pastoral) and main crop types of each sampling locality were used as potential predictors of the relative abundance of five common small mammal species. The Common vole, Microtus arvalis showed a weak relationship with land uses, probably due to the recent colonisation process this species experienced in the study area. The relative abundance of the Algerian mouse, Mus spretus and the Lusitanian pine vole, Microtus lusitanicus was best explained by models built at the broadest regional scale, the former being more abundant in the eastern area, the latter in the western area. The Greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula showed a positive relationship with grassland coverage, whilst the Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus benefited from increasing proportions of fallow lands within the landscape. These two species are then expected to respond positively to those agri-environmental schemes including the increase of fallows and grassy vegetation within the arable landscape (EU recommendations). However, further efforts are needed to predict, at least qualitatively, the response of other small mammal species to the changing farmed landscape. This is especially true for two endemic species occurring at this area: the Cabrera vole, Microtus cabrerae and the Lusitanian pine vole, and for which this kind of information is almost absent.

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Small Mammal Distributions in Riparian and Adjacent Habitats of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.1992.3099 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 133-139

Author(s):

C. Villalobos ◽

Barry Keller

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

National Park ◽

Riparian Habitat ◽

Riparian Ecosystems ◽

Vertebrate Species ◽

Riparian Areas ◽

Grand Teton National Park ◽

Small Vertebrate

Riparian ecosystems are among the most productive biological systems providing food, water, shade, and cover for wildlife (Thomas et al. 1979a). Furthermore, they may display a greater diversity of plant and animal species and vegetative structure than adjacent ecosystems (USDI 1986). Thomas et al. (1979a) provide a descriptive definition which characterizes riparian ecosystems by the presence of trees, shrubs, or herbaceous vegetation that require free or unbound water, or conditions that are more moist than those of the surrounding areas. They suggest that more wildlife species depend entirely on or spend disproportionally more time in riparian habitat than any other. Although the importance of riparian vegetation to wildlife has been apparent since the 1970's, its overall importance to vertebrate species has not been widely studied, especially in the western United States (Patton 1977). Elsewhere, there is a paucity of information on the ecological role of small mammals in riparian areas. Because small vertebrate species may serve as an especially important link in the food chain of threatened, endangered, or reintroduced species, and because small mammal species seem to be compacted in environmentally diverse areas, analysis of riparian vertebrate communities should provide important insights in mechanisms of habitat subdivision and utilization. Clearly, riparian areas contain a greater variety of species than adjoining forest or upslope habitats (Cross 1985). The effect of patch shape on the number of species occupying riparian habitats also has received limited attention (Patton 1975). Because riparian habitat consists of a narrow patch, the elongated shape of riparian areas produces a low interior-toÂhigh-edge ratio which may facilitate or enhance ecological processes, especially the production and dispersal of small mammals. Unfortunately, no documentation exists about patterns of mammalian movement along stream corridors (Forman and Godron 1986). Thus, the importance of the relative use of the edge, riparian, and upland areas by small mammals needs to be investigated, especially in forested mountain land, where riparian areas tend to have smaller areal extent and economic value than upslope vegetation (Swanson et al. 1982). The principle objective of our study was to determine if consistent environmental and landscape features could be found in western riparian, edge, and upland communities, and if these features affected residency of small mammals in Grand Teton National Park. Three independent study sites were studied from June, 1991 through October, 1991 in preparation for a proposed long-term analysis of the role of riparian areas in production of small mammals.

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Converting Abandoned Hayfield to Switchgrass Increases Small Mammal Relative Abundance

Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science ◽

10.3101/1098-7096-77.1.11 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 77 (1-2) ◽

pp. 11-18

Author(s):

Kenton L. Sena ◽

Ben Brammell ◽

S. Ray Smith

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal

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Environmental Assessment at the Bakhuis Bauxite Concession: Small- Sized Mammal Diversity and Abundance in the Lowland Humid Forests of Suriname

The Open Biology Journal ◽

10.2174/1874196700902010042 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 42-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Burton K. Lim

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Social Impact ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Wet Season ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Small Areas ◽

Study Sites ◽

Molossus Molossus

A small mammal survey was conducted in the Bakhuis Mountains of western Suriname in South America as part of a larger environmental and social impact assessment for a proposed bauxite mining concession. The objectives were to establish a baseline study of species diversity and relative abundance for comparison of seasonality, areas, and habitats to facilitate the identification and monitoring of potential impacts of mining to the environment. There were 83 species of small mammals documented comprising 68 species of bats, 8 species of rats and mice, and 7 species of opossums. The most abundant bat was the Seba’s short-tailed bat, Carollia perspicillata Linnaeus, which was recorded at all six study sites. The most abundant non-volant small mammal was the Guianan spiny rat, Proechimys guyannensis E. Geoffroy. Noteworthy discoveries during the survey include the documentation of four species of bats new to the fauna of Suriname (Cyttarops alecto Thomas, smoky sheath-tailed bat; Saccopteryx gymnura Thomas; least two-lined sac-winged bat; Diaemus youngi Jentink; bird-feeding vampire bat; and Lasiurus egregius Peters, greater red bat). There were no obvious differences between the dry and wet season samplings that were attributable directly to climatic conditions. In terms of spatial variation, the relative abundance of bats among the five study sites within the concession area was similar to each other, but significantly different from a sixth study site at a nearby ecotourism operation, which had large numbers of three species (C. perspicillata; Molossus molossus, common free-tailed bat; and Sturnira lilium, little yellowshouldered bat) that are better adapted to human modified surroundings. This suggests that the recent mining explorations in Bakhuis have had a relatively minor impact on bats and that the otherwise pristine forests within the concession can tolerate low levels of disturbance in proportionally small areas over a short duration. For specific habitats, the xeric forest on plateaus had a reduced subset of species of small mammals that were found in the mesic forest of the surrounding lowland regions, which was acting as a species reservoir for upland areas. Small mammals, in particular bats as primary seed dispersers and flower pollinators, are important components of the ecosystem for the successful reforestation of natural habitats, and factors related to community structure are good indicators of the health of the environment.

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