scholarly journals The Effect of Fire on Bird and Small Mammal Communities in the Grasslands of Wind Cave National Park

Author(s):  
Jon Forde ◽  
Norman Sloan

Specifically, the objectives of this research project were to: 1) Census burned and unburned grassland areas for breeding populations of birds and small mammals. Population censuses have been made on areas prescribed burned between 1973 and 1978 as well as the areas burned in the spring of 1981; 2) Analyze study transect vegetation to determine the impact of burning treatments on prairie vegetation and its relationship to bird and small mammal densities; 3) Provide usable management recommendations that will aid not only in vegetation maintenance but also with the animal populations associated with the grasslands.

Author(s):  
R. Moore ◽  
M. Wood

As part of the National Park Service's goal of maintaining an area in as natural condition as possible, Yellowstone National Park in 1972 developed a fire policy whereby natural fires were allowed to burn in wilderness areas of the park. Several investigators have studied the relationship between small mammals and fire due to timber management practices (Gashwiler, 1970 and Tevis, 1956) but few studies have investigated the changes in abundance and composition of species of small mammals after recent natural fires (Bendell 1974). The purpose of this ongoing study is to quantify the effects that recent natural fires have had upon small mammal communities. Two burn sites were studies, the Divide fire which burned in 1976 on the south arm of Yellowstone Lake, and the Trail Creek Fire which burned in 1974 on the southeast arm of the lake.


Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 512-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNA S. SALZER ◽  
DARIN S. CARROLL ◽  
AMANDA JO WILLIAMS-NEWKIRK ◽  
STEFANIE LANG ◽  
JULIAN KERBIS PETERHANS ◽  
...  

SUMMARYHabitat disturbance often results in alterations in community structure of small mammals. Additionally, the parasites harboured by these small mammals may be impacted by environmental changes or indirectly affected by changes in available hosts. To improve our understanding of this interplay, we examined the patterns of parasitism in small mammal communities from a variety of habitats in forested Uganda. Small mammals were collected from areas experiencing variable habitat disturbance, host density and species richness. The analysis focused on 3 most abundant rodent species, Lophuromys aquilus, Praomys jacksoni and Hylomyscus stella, and a diverse group of parasites they harbour. The impact of various habitat and host community factors on parasite prevalence was examined using linear regression and Spearman's rank-order correlation. We further investigated the parasite communities associated with each individual using correspondence analysis. We determined that, parasite prevalence and richness may be occasionally influenced by community and habitat factors, but taxonomy is a driving force in influencing the parasite community harboured by an individual host. Ultimately, applying general principles across a broad range of disturbance levels and diverse host communities needs to be approached with caution in complex communities.


Author(s):  
J. Forde ◽  
N. Sloan

Wind Cave National Park initiated a prescribed burning program in 1972 and yearly burns have been conducted since to evaluate the effects of fire on the Park biota. This research project is designed to determine what effects burning is having on bird and small mammal populations within the grassland community. The objectives of this investigation include: 1. Comparisons of bird and small mammal population levels between pre- and post-burn transects and between burned and control areas; and 2. Vegetation sampling to demonstrate the importance of certain plant species densities and stand composition for the various species of birds and small mammals.


1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 970-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur M. Martell

Changes in small mammal communities following logging were monitored in clear-cut and strip-cut upland black spruce (Picea mariana) stands and in selectively cut mixed wood stands in north-central Ontario. Clear-cutting and subsequent scarification essentially eliminated the vegetative cover. Much of the ground cover recovered within 5 years and shrubs within 12 years, but mosses and lichens took much longer. The small mammal community in both clear-cut and strip-cut stands changed over the first three years after logging from one dominated by southern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) to one dominated by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and then remained relatively stable for up to 13 years after harvest. That shift was not apparent in selectively cut mixed wood stands where the composition of the small mammal community was similar between uncut stands and stands 4–23 years after harvest. There was relatively little change in total numbers of small mammals after logging. In general, the diversity and evenness of small mammals increased or remained stable in the first 1–3 years following harvest, decreased on older (3–16 years) cuts, and then increased to values similar to those in uncut stands on the oldest (19–23 years) cuts.


Author(s):  
D. Shown ◽  
N. Sloan

Wind Cave National Park initiated a prescribed burning program in 1972. Yearly burns have been conducted since to evaluate the effects of fire on the park biota. This project was begun to study what effects burning is having on bird and small mammal populations within the grassland community.


Author(s):  
Eric Adjei Lawer ◽  
Anne-Christine Mupepele ◽  
Alexandra-Maria Klein

AbstractLogging and mining are widespread in most West African countries and considering their socio-economic importance, little is known about their ecological impacts. In this study, we investigated the effects of chainsaw milling (logging) and artisanal mining on terrestrial small mammal communities in a tropical forest in Ghana. For this, we compared abundance, diversity measures and community composition of small mammals active at the forest floor in logged, mined and undisturbed forest sites. We found that abundance was higher in logged and undisturbed forest sites than in mined sites. Small mammal species richness, Shannon diversity and Pielou’s evenness did not differ significantly among the three forest disturbance categories. Community composition of small mammals varied between mined and undisturbed sites as well as between mined and logged sites, suggesting differential species responses to altered environments. This may be due to the presence of pits in mined forest sites, hence a reduction in exploitable ground habitat structures for shelter, nesting or food. Overall, our results suggest that artisanal mining has strong impacts on community composition of forest floor small mammals in tropical forests while the effect of logging by chainsaw milling activities is minimal, especially when practiced at low intensity. This effect was moderated by elevation and distance to streams that equally shaped small mammal communities. More research on the effects of specific forms of logging and mining activities on small mammals are urgently needed to better protect species in forests impacted by logging and mining.


Author(s):  
E.M. Luchnikova ◽  
◽  
V.B. Ilyashenko ◽  
N.S. Teplova ◽  
A.V Kovalevskiy ◽  
...  

The paper is devoted to studying the influence of agricultural lands on the formation of small mammal communities in the pine forests of the Tom River Valley. For the analysis, we took sites of natural and artificial pine forests of different areas experiencing various anthropogenic pressures. A relationship was found between the size of the pine forest and its resistance to invasive species. The creation of artificial pine forests in the forest-steppe does not lead to the formation of typical forest communities of small mammals, due to their limited ability to resettle.


Author(s):  
D. Shown ◽  
N. Sloan

Wind Cave National Park began a prescribed burning program in 1972. Since that time various studies have been carried out to investigate what effect fire has on the vegetative communities within the Park. However, no study has dealt with the effects of fire on the bird and mammal population within the grassland association.


Science ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 322 (5899) ◽  
pp. 261-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Moritz ◽  
J. L. Patton ◽  
C. J. Conroy ◽  
J. L. Parra ◽  
G. C. White ◽  
...  

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