scholarly journals Metapopulations of Montane and Long-Tailed Voles (Microtus montanus and M. longicaudus), and Hantavirus and Plague in the Jackson Hole Small Mammal Community

1997 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 29-32
Author(s):  
Frederick Jannett, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Habitat Patches ◽  
Microtus Montanus ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Study Sites

The purpose of the long-term research begun in 1971 on metapopulations of voles is to enumerate patterns in survivorship, reproduction, and morphology across the sections of the metapopulations. The study sites for Microtus montanus were chosen to represent primary and secondary habitat, and proximate and isolated habitat patches. The purpose of the research on hantavirus begun in 1994 is to ascertain the extent of hantavirus among as many species of small mammals as possible, to identify the strain(s), to understand the presence of hantavirus across species and among the metapopulations of voles, and to assess the potential for human contact. The purpose of the research on plague begun in 1995 is to test the long-standing hypothesis that voles are a reservoir in the intervals between plague outbreaks among ground squirrels.

scholarly journals Metapopulations of Montane and Long-Tailed Voles (Microtus montanus and M. longicaudus), and Hantavirus and Plague in the Jackson Hole Small Mammal Community

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 52-56
Author(s):  
Frederick Jannett, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Habitat Patches ◽  
Microtus Montanus ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Study Sites

The purpose of the long-term research begun in 1971 on metapopulations of voles is to enumerate patterns in survivorship, reproduction, and morphology across the sections of the metapopulations. The study sites for Microtus montanus were chosen to represent primary and secondary habitat, and proximate and isolated habitat patches. The purpose of the research on hantavirus begun in 1994 is to ascertain the extent of hantavirus among as many species of small mammals as possible, to identify the strain(s), to understand the presence of hantavirus across species and among the metapopulations of voles, and to assess the potential for human contact. The purpose of the research on plague begun in 1995 is to test the long-standing hypothesis that voles are a reservoir in the intervals between plague outbreaks among ground squirrels.

scholarly journals Metapopulations and Feeding Selectivity of Montane and Long-Tailed Voles (Microtus montanus and M. Longicaudus), and Hantavirus and Plague in the Jackson Hole Small Mammal Communtiy

1995 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Frederick Jannett, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Feeding Selectivity ◽  
Microtus Montanus ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Demographic Processes ◽  
Study Sites

The purpose of the long-term research which began in 1971 on metapopulations of voles is to enumerate patterns in surviorship, reproduction, and morphology across sections of the metapopulations. The study sites for Microtus montanus were chosen to represent primary and secondary habitat and proximate and isolated habitat patches. The purpose of the work which commenced in 1989 is to ascertain how selectively Microtus montanus and M. longicaudus feed, and to assess vegetation as a factor in demographic processes of the two species . The purpose of the more recently initiated study on hantavirus started in 1994 is to ascertain the extent of hantavirus among as many species of small mammals as possible, to identify the strain(s), to understand the presence of hantavirus across species and among the metapopulations of voles, and to assess the potential for human contact. The purpose of the work on plague since 1995 is to test the long-standing hypothesis that voles are a reservoir in the intervals between plague outbreaks among ground squirrels.

scholarly journals Metapopulations and Feeding Selectivity of Montane and Long-Tailed Voles Microtus montanus and M. Longicaudus, and Hantavirus in the Jackson Hole Small Mammal Community

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 52-55
Author(s):  
Frederick Jannett, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Feeding Selectivity ◽  
Microtus Montanus ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Demographic Processes ◽  
Study Sites

The purposes of the long-term research on metapopulations of voles begun in 1971 are to enumerate patterns in survivorship and reproduction across the sections of the metapopulations, and concomitant variation in morphology. The study sites for Microtus montanus were chosen to represent primary and secondary habitat, and proximate and isolated habitat patches. The purpose of the research begun in 1989 is to ascertain how selectively Microtus montanus and M. longicaudus feed, and to assess vegetation as a factor in demographic processes of the two species. The purpose of the research on hantavirus begun in 1994 is to ascertain the extent of hantavirus among as many species of small mammals as possible, to identify the strain(s), to understand the presence of hantavirus across species and among the metapopulations of voles, and to assess the potential for human contact.

The long-term effects of logging for woodchips on small mammal populations

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Alison Matthews ◽  
Peggy Eby ◽  
Angela M. Penn
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
North West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Species Specific

Context. Long-term studies are internationally recognised as an essential component of achieving ecologically sustainable forest management with respect to fauna. Aims. This study aimed to assess longer-term responses of small mammals to logging by returning in 1998 to our 1980–83 study sites in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Methods. Three age-classes of forest were surveyed: unlogged; 18–19-year-old regrowth; and 26–34-year-old regrowth. Key results. Rattus fuscipes remained affected by logging, and there were significantly fewer R. fuscipes males in logged, north-west-facing sites than at other sites, although the effect was less pronounced in 1998 than in 1980–83. Antechinus agilis females were significantly less numerous in south-east-facing, unlogged forest. This was not expected from the 1980–83 results. Antechinus swainsonii, which had disappeared following a fire in 1980, had returned to the forest by 1998. A. swainsonii females showed a significant preference for south-east-facing slopes and this relationship was consistent between logged and unlogged forest. No members of Mus musculus or Sminthopsis leucopus, which were present in 1980–83, were caught in 1998. Conclusions. As in the 1980s study, the responses of small mammal species to logging history were varied and species specific. Implications. In our study area, we predict that sustained logging for woodchips will continue to deplete its populations of small mammals. This adds to the case for a more robust and sustained approach to researching and managing our forest fauna.

Small mammal populations in a eucalypt forest affected by fire and drought. I. Long-term patterns in an era of climate change

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry F. Recher ◽  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Alison Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Eucalypt Forest ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Murid Rodents ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Antechinus Agilis

This paper reports a study of ground-dwelling, small mammals in coastal eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia from 1970 through 2005. During this time, the study area burnt in an intense fire in December 1972 and was partially burnt in November 1980. Both fires were associated with prolonged drought. The mammals studied comprised two dasyurid marsupials, Antechinus agilis and A. swainsonii, two native murid rodents, Rattus fuscipes and R. lutreolus, and the introduced house mouse Mus musculus. After intensive sampling throughout the year from 1970 through 1972 to establish basic ecological and population parameters of the small mammal community, populations were sampled annually during late autumn and early winter before the onset of breeding. There were marked differences in the annual (autumn/winter) abundances of all species; numbers of A. agilis ranged from 4 to 142 individuals; A. swainsonii 0 to 43; R. fuscipes 4 to 54; R. lutreolus 0 to 11; M. musculus 0 to 23. Following the 1972 fire, numbers fell to the lowest level recorded during the study and each population subsequently disappeared from the plot between the 1973 and 1974 winter censuses. The less intense 1980 fire did not lead to extirpation, but numbers of A. agilis, A. swainsonii and R. fuscipes declined as drought conditions persisted through 1983. R. lutreolus occurred consistently only following the fires, when a grassy ground vegetation favoured by this species developed. Similarly, M. musculus colonised within two years of the fires and persisted on the plot for 3–4 years before disappearing. Following the fires, populations of the omnivorous R. fuscipes recovered first followed by the scansorial, insectivorous A. agilis and last by the fossorial, insectivorous A. swainsonii. Two primary conclusions emerged from this study. First, the intense fire of 1972 did not kill all the animals immediately, but led to the disappearance of each species from the plot over 18 months. Thus, intense fire had a delayed but catastrophic impact on small ground-dwelling mammals. The fluctuations in population levels, covering more than an order of magnitude, demonstrate that factors other than fire, such as rainfall and drought, drive the population dynamics of these small mammals. As stability and recovery are not features of local populations, long-term studies of benchmark populations are necessary to manage forest biodiversity.

scholarly journals Parasites of Small Mammals in Grand Teton National Park: Babesia and Hepatozoon

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 95-99
Author(s):  
Raychel Watkins ◽  
Suzanne Moshier ◽  
Aelita Pinter
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
National Park ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Babesia Microti ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Microtus Montanus ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Host Parasite

Babesia microti, a parasitic protozoan, is endemic in the Microtus montanus of Grand Teton National Park. It is transmitted by the tick Ixodes eastoni and reproduces in the erythrocytes of its vole host. A second protozoan parasite, Hepatozoon sp., which is widespread in small mammals in Europe, is also found in reptiles throughout the world. The record of Hepatozoon in North American small mammals is not extensive. Hepatozoon, unlike Babesia, may be a two-host or a three-host parasite. Also unlike Babesia, for which the intermediate host is always a tick, the intermediate host of Hepatozoon may be a tick, a mite, a flea, or a mosquito. The method of transmission by the vector also differs in the two parasites. Babesia is transmitted in the tick's saliva when it bites, whereas Hepatozoon infection requires the vertebrate host to ingest a vector. In our 1996 studies, we sought more data on these two parasites. The objectives for 1996 focused on Hepatozoon: to sample specific populations of M. montanus, in which we have previously documented Hepatozoon infections; to determine whether differences exist in the infection rates at different study sites in the park; and to search for any additional vectors of Hepatozoon sp. infections in M. montanus by examining ectoparasites. These studies contributed to our long-term objectives of documenting the effects and cost of parasitism on M. montanus populations.

Changes in small mammal communities after logging in north-central Ontario

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 970-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur M. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
North Central ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Mammal Community ◽  
Mammal Communities

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.

Movement of small mammals across divided highways with vegetated medians

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 1214-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley A.D. McLaren ◽  
Lenore Fahrig ◽  
Nigel Waltho
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Barrier Effect ◽  
Cover Type ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Median Width ◽  
Initial Capture

Previous studies suggest the gap in forest cover generated by roads contributes to the barrier effect of roads on movement of forest-dwelling small mammals. However, it is not known if vegetated medians of divided highways affect movement of small mammals by reducing the effective highway width. The purpose of our study was to determine whether the type of vegetation cover in the median (treed or grassy) or median width affects small-mammal crossings of divided highways. At 11 study sites varying in median cover type and width, we live-trapped small mammals next to one side of the highway and translocated them to the opposite side of the highway using a standardized translocation distance. In total, 24% of translocated individuals were recaptured on the side of the highway of initial capture, i.e., they had moved across the entire highway. This was significantly lower than what would have been expected in the absence of the highway (58%). The overall probability of recapturing a translocated individual was not significantly related to median cover type or width. Our results suggest that efforts to mitigate the barrier effect of highways on small mammals cannot be accomplished by altering median vegetation type and width.

The short-term responses of small mammals to wildfire in semiarid mallee shrubland, Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke T. Kelly ◽  
Dale G. Nimmo ◽  
Lisa M. Spence-Bailey ◽  
Michael F. Clarke ◽  
Andrew F. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
And Function

Context. Wildfire is a major driver of the structure and function of mallee eucalypt- and spinifex-dominated landscapes. Understanding how fire influences the distribution of biota in these fire-prone environments is essential for effective ecological and conservation-based management. Aims. We aimed to (1) determine the effects of an extensive wildfire (118 000 ha) on a small mammal community in the mallee shrublands of semiarid Australia and (2) assess the hypothesis that the fire-response patterns of small mammals can be predicted by their life-history characteristics. Methods. Small-mammal surveys were undertaken concurrently at 26 sites: once before the fire and on four occasions following the fire (including 14 sites that remained unburnt). We documented changes in small-mammal occurrence before and after the fire, and compared burnt and unburnt sites. In addition, key components of vegetation structure were assessed at each site. Key results. Wildfire had a strong influence on vegetation structure and on the occurrence of small mammals. The mallee ningaui, Ningaui yvonneae, a dasyurid marsupial, showed a marked decline in the immediate post-fire environment, corresponding with a reduction in hummock-grass cover in recently burnt vegetation. Species richness of native small mammals was positively associated with unburnt vegetation, although some species showed no clear response to wildfire. Conclusions. Our results are consistent with the contention that mammal responses to fire are associated with their known life-history traits. The species most strongly affected by wildfire, N. yvonneae, has the most specific habitat requirements and restricted life history of the small mammals in the study area. The only species positively associated with recently burnt vegetation, the introduced house mouse, Mus domesticus, has a flexible life history and non-specialised resource requirements. Implications. Maintaining sources for recolonisation after large-scale wildfires will be vital to the conservation of native small mammals in mallee ecosystems.

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