Dynamics of small-mammal communities along an elevational gradient

Elevation is one of the most important natural gradients that is strongly shaping communities across relatively small areas. However, few studies have followed the temporal dynamics of elevational patterns, even in organisms for which population and community fluctuations have been extensively studied, such as rodents. Here we report the multiannual dynamics of small-mammal communities along an elevational gradient in the Southern Carpathians. During a 5-year survey, we conducted live-trapping in forested and shrubby habitats, at elevations between 820 and 2040 m. We used partial constrained multivariate analysis and mixed-effects models to test the effect of elevation, year, and their interaction. Community metrics differed significantly between even and odd years and temporal changes had stronger effect on small-mammal communities than elevation. The 2-year pattern of dynamics was especially marked in the yellow-necked field mouse (Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior, 1834)). Species abundance was predicted not only by year and elevation, but also by their interaction. The dominant rodent species, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus (Schreber, 1780)) and A. flavicollis, showed opposite annual patterns in relation to elevation, possibly as a strategy to avoid competition. Failure to consider the fluctuations in montane small-mammal communities may lead to wrong assessment of species’ state and distribution.

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Effects of moisture conditions on the small mammal communities of floodplain forests in south Moravia (Czech Republic)

Šumarski list ◽

10.31298/sl.141.11-12.2 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 141 (11-12) ◽

pp. 557-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Josef Suchomel ◽

Jan Zejda ◽

Pavel Hadaš ◽

Marta Heroldová

Keyword(s):

Small Mammal ◽

Sorex Araneus ◽

Groundwater Table ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Moisture Regime ◽

Floodplain Forests ◽

Herb Layer ◽

Apodemus Flavicollis ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

Mammal Communities

Changes of the moisture regime and its influence on the dominance of selected species of small mammal communities were studied in floodplain forests in southern Moravia (river Dyje). In period of typical floodplain regime characterized by groundwater table fluctuation (1968–1972, with high groundwater table level or floods in spring) dominance of Apodemus flavicollis (Mel.) was 42%, Myodes glareolus (Schreb.) 33% and Sorex araneus L. 15% of the total small mammal communities. In period 1982–1987 after cessation of floods by river regulation, rapid groundwater drop and changes in the herb layer, the dominance of Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus increased. Also the dominance of Apodemus sylvaticus (L.) increased, but that of Sorex araneus collapsed. Further revitalization measures were applied by systems of channels supplying the water to root system of forest trees but not to the herb layer. In 2002–2006 decreasing moisture condition further influenced the dominance of Apodemus flavicollis reaching mean dominance 62%, Myodes glareolus dominance decreased to 20% and that of Sorex araneus remain to be low. All estimated changes were correlated with moisture regime changes and were significant. Thus the changes in the forest moisture regime significantly affect the community of small terrestrial mammals.

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Relationships between landscape structure and the prevalence of two tick-borne infectious agents, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, in small mammal communities

10.1101/718403 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Grégoire Perez ◽

Suzanne Bastian ◽

Amélie Chastagner ◽

Albert Agoulon ◽

Yann Rantier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Landscape Structure ◽

Anaplasma Phagocytophilum ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Infectious Agents ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

Vector Borne ◽

Mammal Communities

AbstractContextBy modifying ecosystems, land cover changes influence the emergence, the spread and the incidence of vector-borne diseases.ObjectiveThis study aimed at identifying associations between landscape structure and the prevalence of two tick-borne infectious agents, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., in small mammal communities.MethodsSmall mammals were sampled in 24 sites along a gradient of woodland fragmentation and hedgerow network density, and screened for infectious agents with real-time PCR techniques. For each site, structural variables (composition and configuration) of the surrounding landscape at various scales (0-500 m) and variables of wooded habitats connectivity based on graph theory and least cost path distances for the two dominant species, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), were computed.ResultsThe A. phagocytophilum prevalence increased with wooded habitats cover (0-500 m), likely through host population size, and increased slightly with bank vole abundance, which has a higher reservoir competence than wood mouse. The B. burgdorferi s.l. prevalence increased with wooded ecotones only at local scales (50-100 m). Wooded habitats connectivity measures did not improve models built with simple land cover variables. A more marked spatial pattern was observed for the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum than B. burgdorferi s.l..ConclusionsThis study highlights the interest of considering together the ecology of infectious agents (e.g. host specificity) and the host species community ecology to better understand the influence of the landscape structure on the spatial distribution of vector-borne infectious agents.

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Small mammals in the diet of owls in the Masovian Landscape Park and its adjacent areas

Fragmenta Faunistica ◽

10.3161/00159301ff2016.59.2.073 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 73-86

Author(s):

Grzegorz LESIŃSKI ◽

◽

Przemysław STOLARZ ◽

Jakub GRYZ ◽

Radosław DĄBROWSKI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Mammal ◽

Sorex Araneus ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Apodemus Flavicollis ◽

Microtus Arvalis ◽

Strix Aluco ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

Mammal Communities ◽

Muscardinus Avellanarius

The diet of three owl species was analysed in 32 sites localised in the Masovian Landscape Park and its outskirts to determine the structure of small mammal communities. Study was done in the years 1993–2016, 5,728 vertebrate prey (including 4,001 mammals) were collected. Five species of soricomorphs, six bats, 14 rodents and one species of Carnivora were found. Among mammals, Myodes glareolus had the greatest share in the diet of Strix aluco. Tyto alba most frequently caught Microtus arvalis and Sorex araneus, while Asio otus – M. arvalis and M. oeconomus. Those prey, together with Apodemus flavicollis and A. agrarius, dominated in small mammal communities. One site of Crocidura leucodon was found on the western edge of its range in Poland. The share of bats in the diet of S. aluco was small (0.5% of mammals), Plecotus auritus was most frequent. Muscardinus avellanarius was found in forests of the southern part of the Masovian Landscape Park. It was relatively often caught by S. aluco in favourable habitats. Shares of M. oeconomus, M. agrestis and M. avellanarius in the diet of owls were significantly higher in southern part of the study area remote from Warsaw.

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Ecological similarity explains species abundance distribution of small mammal communities

Acta Oecologica ◽

10.1016/j.actao.2019.103502 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 102 ◽

pp. 103502

Author(s):

José Hidasi-Neto ◽

Luis Mauricio Bini ◽

Tadeu Siqueira ◽

Marcus Vinicius Cianciaruso

Keyword(s):

Small Mammal ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Species Abundance Distribution ◽

Abundance Distribution ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

Mammal Communities

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Habitat Distribution of Small Mammal Communities in Grand Teton National Park

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.1991.3013 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 169-174

Author(s):

Nancy Stanton ◽

Steven Buskirk ◽

Steven Miller

Keyword(s):

Small Mammal ◽

National Park ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Grand Teton National Park ◽

Small Mammal Population ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

June July ◽

Mammal Communities

One primary objective of this study was to survey small mammal communities in a burn chronosequence. During the summer of 1990, small mammals were live-trapped in five burned sites and in adjacent unburned coniferous forests in and around Grand Teton National Park. In 1991, two burns (Huckleberry Mountain, 1988 fires) and adjacent unburned forests were trapped for the third consecutive year in June, July and August to continue to monitor post-burn small mammal population trends and species composition. In addition, in 1991 rodents were live-trapped from seven vegetation types along an elevational gradient, and microhabitat measurements were made at successful and unsuccessful trap stations within each vegetation type. The purpose was to survey small mammal communities in common habitat types within the Park and to determine whether microhabitat features can be used to predict trap success for common rodent species.

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Spatial variation of small mammal communities in northwestern Argentina

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2020-0149 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Sofía d’ Hiriart ◽

Gerardo Cueto ◽

Pablo E. Ortiz ◽

Pablo Teta ◽

J. Pablo Jayat

Keyword(s):

Small Mammal ◽

Large Scale ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Combined Effect ◽

Species Variation ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Northwestern Argentina ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

Mammal Communities

Abstract Northwestern Argentina (NWA) is a region characterized by a complex geomorphology, and encompasses six ecoregions in a relatively small area. The environmental heterogeneity of NWA and the sensitivity of small mammals towards environmental and landscape changes constitute a good scenario to assess the factors that influence small mammal diversity patterns in the region. We studied small mammal communities obtained from pellet samples in 24 localities of NWA. We identified 50 non-volant small mammal species and obtained topographic, climate and land cover variables. Our results show that small mammal communities respond to environmental factors at a regional scale. Such variations were explained in different proportions by the geographic position of the collecting sites, landscape and climate. Furthermore, the combined effect of these factors was the main determinant of species abundance patterns. Our results support the need of large-scale approaches to study communities, since the explanations of the observed patterns are simpler and more general. We emphasize the importance of considering the combined effect of different environmental predictors, which allows determining the amount of species variation that is spatially structured, and within that, the amount of variation related to the influence of the measured environmental variables.

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Terrestrial Small Mammal Communities from Hârtibaciu Plateau (Romania)/Comunităţi de mamifere mici terestre din Podişul Hârtibaciu (România)

Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” ◽

10.2478/travmu-2014-0006 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 57-67

Author(s):

Ana Maria Benedek ◽

Ioan Sîrbu ◽

Anca Bucur ◽

Victoria Cociş ◽

Adrian Răulea ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Index Number ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Live Trapping ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

Mammal Communities ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Active Trap

Abstract Small mammal communities were studied by live trapping during August-September 2010 and June-September 2011 in three localities from Hârtibaciu Plateau, in southern Transylvania. The area is situated between 420 and 550 m a.s.l., and represents a mosaic of small patches of different land use. 200 traps were set in lines for three consecutive nights, in 80 different habitats representing 12 habitat types, both cultivated and semi-natural. 1235 small mammals belonging to 15 species (four soricomorphs and 11 rodents) were captured. Abundance of small mammals was expressed by means of capture index (number of individuals caught per 100 active trap-nights). The community structure was strongly shaped by habitat type, even in case of small land patches. Microtus arvalis prevailed in the investigated area, being the dominant species in open fields with high grassy vegetation. The density of this species increased strongly from the beginning of summer to autumn, when the traps were occasionally saturated with field voles.

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