scholarly journals Habitat associations of small mammals in southern Brazil and use of regurgitated pellets of birds of prey for inventorying a local fauna

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR. Scheibler ◽  
AU. Christoff
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Barn Owls

We inventoried terrestrial small mammals in an agricultural area in southern Brazil by using trapping and prey consumed by Barn Owls (Tyto alba) and White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus). Small mammals were trapped in three habitat types: corn fields, uncultivated fields ("capoeiras"), and native forest fragments. A total of 1,975 small mammal specimens were trapped, another 2,062 identified from the diet of Barn Owls, and 2,066 from the diet of White-tailed Kites. Both trapping and prey in the predators' diet yielded 18 small mammal species: three marsupials (Didelphis albiventris, Gracilinanus agilis, and Monodelphis dimidiata) and 15 rodents (Akodon paranaensis, Bruceppatersonius iheringi, Calomys sp., Cavia aperea, Euryzygomatomys spinosus, Holochilus brasiliensis, Mus musculus, Necromys lasiurus, Nectomys squamipes, Oligoryzomys nigripes, Oryzomys angouya, Oxymycterus sp.1, Oxymycterus sp.2, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758)). The greatest richness was found in the uncultivated habitat. We concluded that the three methods studied for inventorying small mammals (prey in the diet of Barn Owls, White-tailed Kites, and trapping) were complementary, since together, rather than separately, they produced a better picture of local richness.

An attempt to determine the size of the Common Barn-owl’s (Tyto alba) hunting area based on its prey composition

2021 ◽  
pp. 175815592110660
Author(s):  
Jenő J Purger ◽  
Dávid Szép
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Small Mammal Species ◽  
Owl Pellets

The relative abundance of small mammal species detected from Common Barn-owl pellets reflects the landscape structure and habitat pattern of the owl’s hunting area, but it is also affected by the size of the collected pellet sample and the size of the supposed hunting area. The questions arise: how many pellets should be collected and analyzed as well as how large hunting area should be taken into consideration in order to reach the best correspondence between the owl’s prey composition and the distribution of habitats preferred by small mammals preyed in supposed hunting areas? For this study, we collected 1045 Common Barn-owl pellets in a village in southern Hungary. All detected small mammal species were classified into functional groups (guilds) preferring urban, open, forest and wetland habitats. The proportion of functional groups was compared to the proportion of these habitats around the pellet collection site within circles of one, two, and three km radius. Saturation curves showed that at least 300 pellets or ca. 600 mammalian remains are required for the detection of the 19 small mammal species. The share of small mammals detected in the prey and their functional groups according to their habitat preference showed an increasing consistency with the distribution of real habitats in the potential hunting area of a radius of 3 km around the owl’s breeding or resting place.

scholarly journals Temporal variation in small nonvolant mammal (Cricetidae and Didelphidae) microhabitat associations in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 663-681
Author(s):  
Robert Owen
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Interannual Variation ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ◽  
Small Mammal Species

Many questions concerning habitat preferences of Neotropical small mammals remain unanswered. These questions include where the animal lives within and among the available habitats, and the temporal (seasonal and interannual) variation in the habitat associations. The objectives of this research were: (1) to determine the associations of non-volant small mammal species (Rodentia and Didelphimorphia) with specific microhabitat characteristics including vegetation structure in an area near the western boundary of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, and (2) to evaluate seasonal and interannual variation in those associations. Three grids were sampled in three seasons (Dry, Wet, Variable) during two years (2015-2017). The four predominant small mammal species (Gracilinanus agilis, Akodon montensis, Hylaeamys megacephalus, and Oligoryzomys nigripes) were evaluated for seasonal and interannual variation in habitat preferences. Each of the four exhibited seasonal and/or interannual variation in microhabitat preferences for three to six of the 17 environmental variables analyzed. This is the first study to explicitly evaluate temporal variation in habitat associations of small mammals in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion. The temporal patterns of habitat association among these four predominant species reveal a complex spatially and temporally dynamic composition and structure in this small mammal community.

scholarly journals The prey composition of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) with respect to landscape structure of its hunting area (Zala County, Hungary)

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Dávid Szép ◽  
Ákos Klein ◽  
Jenő J. Purger
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Prey Composition ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Landscape Patches ◽  
Small Mammal Species

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.

Microhabitat structure and food availability modelling a small mammal assemblage in restored riparian forest remnants

Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-327
Author(s):  
Matheus R.J. Corrêa ◽  
Yuri M. Bellagamba ◽  
Adriele P. de Magalhães ◽  
Joice P.V. Martins ◽  
Antônio J. do R. Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Forest Remnants ◽  
Microhabitat Structure

Abstract Small mammal populations respond to environmental changes in secondary riparian forest remnants in different ways, depending on the influences of biotic and abiotic variables. The present study evaluated how habitat/microhabitat structure and food availability influence small mammal assemblages in restored riparian forest remnants. Pitfall traps disposed in three linear transects were used to collect small mammals during 9 months of field work. General linear models were built to test the hypothesis that microhabitat structure (litter biomass and type – leaves and branches) and food availability (richness of zoochoric tree species and arthropods) influence species richness and abundance of small mammals. Three hundred and eighty-two individuals belonging to 14 species were captured. Biomass and type of litter (leaves or branches) provided greater structural to microhabitats, allowing the coexistence of morphologically similar species. Besides, food availability influenced foraging strategies of marsupials, forcing them to use the forest floor when zoochoric plants were rare. Thus, litter structure and food availability, allowing spatial segregation of the small mammal species using the forest fragments. We concluded that the maintenance of small mammals and their ecosystem services in restored riparian forests are dependent on habitat structure and food availability, thus, litter and zoochoric plants should be conserved in riparian forest fragments, especially those reforested.

scholarly journals Small mammals in the diet of Barn Owls (Tyto furcata) in an urban area in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, with a new record of the dwarf mouse opossum (Cryptonanus)

2022 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Almeida ◽  
R. R. Ribeiro ◽  
J. A. Maia-Júnior ◽  
V. C. Silva ◽  
I. C. V. Borges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Area ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
New Record ◽  
Dwarf Mouse ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Owl Pellets

Abstract Several studies emphasize the use of owl pellets in small mammal inventories in natural areas harboring high richness of rare species, but few Brazilian Atlantic forest localities have been surveyed by this method. The present study documents the species composition and abundance of small mammals in the diet of Tyto furcata in an urban area of the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, remarking on a new record of the dwarf mouse opossum genus Cryptonanus in the Atlantic forest. We analyzed 265 pellets regurgitated by a pair of T. furcata from November 2016 to September 2017 found in a nesting box. Analysis of the samples enabled finding a total of 596 individuals of four small mammal species. Mus musculus was predominant among the prey items (98.3%), while the native rodents Necromys lasiurus (1.3%) and Holochilus brasiliensis (0,17%) were much rarer. A single specimen of Cryptonanus sp. was identified among the diet items based on distinctive dental characters. The identification of this genus in the present study represents the second record in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the sixth in the Atlantic Forest biome, suggesting that this marsupial occupies a wider ecological and biogeographic range. The present study underscores the relevance of owl pellets for small mammal surveys, even in urban and highly disturbed areas.

scholarly journals Food partitioning between breeding White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus; Aves; Accipitridae) and Barn Owls (Tyto alba; Aves; Tytonidae) in southern Brazil

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR. Scheibler
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Activity Period ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Food Component ◽  
Hunting Activity ◽  
Barn Owls ◽  
Food Partitioning ◽  
Food Niches

I examined the diet of breeding White-tailed Kites (Elanus leucurus; Aves; Accipitridae) and Barn Owls (Tyto alba; Aves; Tytonidae) in an agrarian area of southern Brazil by analyzing regurgitated prey remains. The objective was to evaluate how these raptors, which differ markedly in their hunting activity periods (owls are nocturnal and kites diurnal), share their mammalian food component. 2,087 prey consumed by Barn Owls and 1,276 by White-tailed Kites were identified. They presented a high overlap of food-niches (Pianka’s index was 0.98). Based on the daily activity period of their main small mammal prey, a lower overlap would be expected. The crepuscular/nocturnal Mus musculus was the main prey for the diet of breeding Barn Owls (81%) and White-tailed Kites (63%). This small exotic rodent provided 63% of the small mammal biomass ingested by owls and 44% by kites. Larger native small mammals were also considered important for the diet of kites, mainly because of their biomass contribution. Although these raptors differ markedly in their hunting activity periods, Barn Owls and White-tailed Kites are very similar predators in southern Brazil, overlapping their diets.

scholarly journals Small mammals in diet of the barn owl (Tyto alba) in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-76
Author(s):  
Zoya Selyunina ◽  
Yuriy Moskalenko
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Tyto Alba ◽  
Mammal Species

The barn owl (Tyto alba) formerly was one of the rarest vagrant bird species in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. Since 2018, this species has been wintering regularly in the Yahorlytskyi Kut division of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. We studied the barn owl’s diet in the reserve by analysing 20 pellets collected in the winter of 2018. A total of 69 specimens of 5 mammal species were identified from the pellets. Species of small mammals that dominate in open habitats prevail in the barn owl’s diet such as the social vole (Microtus socialis) (dominant species of steppe habitats; 43 % of identifiable small-mammal specimens) and the lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) (dominant species of salt marsh habitats; 42 % of identifiable small-mammal specimens). Remains of the southern vole (Microtus levis), the Ural field mouse (Sylvaemus cf. uralensis), and the Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus) were non-abundant in the barn owl’s diet.

scholarly journals First Detection of Bartonella spp. in Small Mammals from Rice Storage and Processing Facilities in Myanmar and Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 658
Author(s):  
Inga Böge ◽  
Martin Pfeffer ◽  
Nyo M. Htwe ◽  
Pyai P. Maw ◽  
Siriwardana Rampalage Sarathchandra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Bartonella Henselae ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Suncus Murinus ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
D 12 ◽  
Zoonotic Bacteria

(1) Background: Bartonella spp. are zoonotic bacteria with small mammals as main reservoirs. Bartonella spp. prevalence in small mammals from Myanmar and Sri Lanka are yet unknown. (2) Methods: Small mammals were snap trapped in Sri Lanka and Myanmar in urban surroundings. Spleens-derived DNA was screened for Bartonella spp. using conventional PCR based on three target genes. Positive samples were sequenced. (3) Results: 994 small mammals were collected comprising 6 species: Bandicota bengalensis, Bandicota indica, Rattus exulans, Rattus rattus, Mus booduga, and Suncus murinus. In Myanmar, the Bartonella prevalence in Bandicoot rats (68.47%) was higher than in Rattus rattus (41.67%), Rattus exulans (21.33%), and Suncus murinus (3.64%). Furthermore the prevalence in Myanmar (34%, n = 495) was twice as high as in Sri Lanka (16%, n = 499). In Sri Lanka, Bartonella spp. occurred almost exclusively in R. rattus. In Myanmar, Bartonella kosoyi was mainly detected (56%), followed by Bartonella sp. KM2529 (15%), Bartonella sp. SE-Bart D (12%) and Bartonella henselae (1%). In Sri Lanka, B. phoceensis (60%) and Bartonella sp. KM2581 (33%) were predominant. (4) Conclusions: Bartonella spp. were detected in all investigated small mammal species from Myanmar and Sri Lanka for the first time. Bartonella kosoyi and B. henselae are zoonotic. As these small mammals originated from urban settlements, human bartonellosis seems likely to occur.

scholarly journals Diversity and Diet Differences of Small Mammals in Commensal Habitats

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 346
Author(s):  
Linas Balčiauskas ◽  
Laima Balčiauskienė ◽  
Andrius Garbaras ◽  
Vitalijus Stirkė
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Additional Food ◽  
Δ13c And Δ15n ◽  
Degree Of Separation ◽  
Kitchen Gardens ◽  
Dietary Plasticity ◽  
The Stability

The stability of diversity of syntopic (inhabiting the same habitat in the same time) small mammals in commensal habitats, such as farmsteads and kitchen gardens, and, as a proxy of their diet, their isotopic niches, was investigated in Lithuania in 2019–2020. We tested whether the separation of species corresponds to the trophic guilds, whether their diets are related to possibilities of getting additional food from humans, and whether their diets are subject to seasonal trends. We analyzed diversity, dominance and distribution of hair δ13C and δ15N values. Diversity and dominance was not stable and differed according to human influence. The highest small mammal species richness occurred in commensal habitats that provided additional food. The degree of separation of species was higher in homestead habitats than in kitchen gardens, where a 1.27 to 35.97% overlap of isotopic niches was observed between pairs of species. Temporal changes in δ13C and δ15N values in the hair of the mammals were not equally expressed in different species. The isotopic overlap may depend on dietary plasticity, minimizing interspecific competition and allowing co-existence of syntopic species. Thus, small mammal trophic ecology is likely related to intensity of agricultural activities in the limited space of commensal habitats.

Small mammal mycophagy in hemiboreal forest communities of Lithuania

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Kataržytė ◽  
Ernestas Kutorga
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Hypogeous Fungi ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Significant Difference

AbstractThe diets of small mammals in different hemiboreal spruce-dominated, oak-dominated and mixed forests in western part of Lithuania were studied by examination of fungal spores in fresh fecal pellets of caught animals. In the diets of mice (Apodemus spp.), bank voles (Myodes glareolus), and common and pygmy shrews (Sorex araneus and S. minutus), 22 different fungal taxa were identified, 15 of which were hypogeous fungi. The sporocarp abundance and the spores in fecal samples of Elaphomyces fungi prevailed in study area during this investigation. Although most of the captured individuals consumed fungi, the consumption varied among small mammal species. The data show that the fungi were more frequent and taxonomically diverse in Myodes glareolus than in Apodemus spp. diets. The study provided evidence that the fungal component in the diets of insectivorous Sorex species is more diverse than previously known. The availability of sporocarps and the fungal component in the diets of small mammals showed seasonal effects. Annual hypogeous and epigeous sporocarp abundances did not vary significantly across forest types. The significant difference in mycophagy was observed across all forest cover types, with the greatest fungal diversity in fecal samples collected in mixed coniferous-deciduous tree stands.

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