scholarly journals A comparison of native and non-native small mammals in adjacent karst and volcanic soil regions in NE Luzon, Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  

Small mammal communities that occur in habitats on volcanic soil substrates have been extensively studied on Luzon Island, but those that occur in forest over limestone are poorly known and have not been directly compared to those over volcanic soils. We conducted field surveys of small mammals in forest over limestone from ca. 100 m to 590 m elevation in the vicinity of Callao Cave, and in adjacent lowland dipterocarp forest over volcanic soil from 490 m to 900 m, near the location of prior surveys from 1300 m to1550 m on Mt. Cetaceo, an extinct volcanic peak in the northern Sierra Madre range. Despite moderately heavy disturbance to the habitats over karst (limestone) and moderate disturbance to forest over volcanic soils, we found native small mammals overall at levels of species richness and abundance similar to what we have documented elsewhere on Luzon over the same elevational range. Non-native mammals were present at all localities in the karstic habitat but were absent in all types of forest over volcanic soils, even in areas recovering from prior disturbance. Although non-natives were moderately common in karstic areas, they rarely were more common than native species, and non-native species were no more successful at invading the disturbed karstic habitat than the native species were at persisting there. The most abundant small mammal in dipterocarp forest over volcanic soil (Apomys sierra) was absent in karstic localities, despite occurring in adjacent areas at overlapping elevation. Overall, the difference between small mammals in karst and lowland dipterocarp forest was mainly due to species composition rather than total abundance. Comparisons with data from a prior study on the upper slopes of Mt. Cetaceo showed that total native species abundance was highest in montane and mossy forest, typically about three times higher than in lowland dipterocarp forest. We confirmed the current presence of one species, Apomys microdon, reported as a fossil from Callao Cave, but the apparent absence of one other, Batomys sp.; both were from deposits dated as ca. 65,000 BP. We also summarize information about large mammals in the study areas. Further study of mammals in the distinctive forest over limestone is clearly needed. KEYWORDS: biodiversity, biogeography, Cagayan Valley, disturbed forest, elevation, fossils, Muridae, Sierra Madre, Soricidae

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (01) ◽  
pp. 57-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Walker ◽  
Alan Rabinowitz

ABSTRACTSmall mammal live-trapping was carried out in a dry tropical forest mosaic in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, central Thailand. Trapping was done in two forest types in three seasons.Maxomys surijerwas the dominant species in both plots. The three most abundant species in each plot accounted for > 90% of all captures. Community structure, density, relative abundance, biomass, age structure of populations, and habitat usage of some small mammal species varied by forest type and season. The dry evergreen/mixed deciduous forest type supported a greater abundance and biomass of small mammals than the mixed deciduous/dry dipterocarp forest type in all seasons, although species richness was the same. The greatest density, biomass, and home-range size forMaxomys surijeroccurred in the rainy season in both forest types. Seasonal changes in ratios of adults and subadulls of several species suggested a breeding peak at the end of the dry season or beginning of the rainy season. The mixed deciduous/dry dipterocarp forest showed a drastic drop in numbers, density, and biomass of small mammals six weeks after a fire burned through it.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Deacon ◽  
R. Mac Nally

A survey of small mammals was undertaken in eight forest fragments of three sizes (2.5, 10 and 40 ha) and in five "pseudofragments" within a large area of State Forest. The latter were used to provide "reference" results against which the fragments could be compared. There was a paucity of dasyurid marsupials in fragments and pseudofragments, but arboreal "herbivores" (possums and a glider) were 7.5 times more abundant in fragments than in pseudofragments. The Short-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus was recorded in both fragments and pseudofragments. All sites were impoverished, with a maximum of four native species of small mammals recorded at any one site, and six native species recorded overall. There was significant faunal "nesting" as a function of fragment size, with the small-mammal fauna of smaller fragments being subsets of larger fragments. The extant fauna in fragments appears to be a result of a sequence of local extinctions such that some species are more vulnerable to habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation and become locally extinct earlier than other, hardier species. The impoverishment within pseudofragments seems to be a function of broad-scale habitat modifications and especially timber harvesting, which maintains the forest as a dense array of small, pole-sized trees with few large, old trees. Several of the arboreal mammals are dependent on hollows found in larger trees, so the absence of the latter probably constrains the occurrence and density of the hollow users.


2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Scott Laidlaw ◽  
Barbara A. Wilson

Phytophthora cinnamomi is a soil-inhabiting ‘water mould’ that is pathogenic to many native plant species in Australia, and has been shown to alter plant species abundance and richness, as well as the structure of vegetation in sclerophyllous vegetation. This study investigated the effects of P. cinnamomi-induced vegetation disturbance and habitat degradation on microhabitat associations of small mammals in a coastal heathland in southern Australia. Seven small mammal species were trapped in a P. cinnamomi-infested heathland community over four years. Trap stations were classified into three disease classes (non-diseased, active disease and post-disease) and structural and floristic aspects of the vegetation were recorded at each station. The mean number of species captured was greatest in non-diseased areas and least in post-disease areas. The total capture frequency of small mammals was lower in post-disease areas except where they were covered by thick stands of tall tea-tree (Leptospermum sp.). Combined small mammal captures were associated with thick vegetation and floristic factors. Captures of Antechinus agilis, Rattus fuscipes, Rattus lutreolus and Sminthopsis leucopus were greatest in non-diseased vegetation and were less frequent in areas of diseased vegetation. A. agilis and R. fuscipes captures were correlated with a floristic factor associated with non-diseased vegetation, while R. lutreolus was associated with structural factors, preferring thick vegetation. The impact on Cercartetus nanus and Isoodon obesulus could not be assessed owing to low captures of these species. Modification of vegetation structure and floristics associated with P. cinnamomi infestation is having a significant impact on the habitat utilised by the small mammal communities in the area. This impact highlights the need to identify and protect those areas that remain free of P. cinnamomi infestation. Continued spread of the pathogen will reduce the area of suitable small-mammal habitat able to support the diverse communities of the eastern Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia.


2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1165-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédérique Reverchon ◽  
María del Pilar Ortega-Larrocea ◽  
Jesús Pérez-Moreno ◽  
Víctor Manuel Peña-Ramírez ◽  
Christina Siebe

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) communities of Pinus montezumae Lamb. var. montezumae were studied across a volcanic soil chronosequence at Sierra del Chichinautzin, Mexico, to investigate differences in community structure at sites with different soil quality. Study sites were located on volcanic soils of different ages. Both aboveground and belowground fungal communities were compared for 3 years. Species abundance, richness, and diversity were compared among sites. Significant differences were found among the three sites for sporocarp abundance and biomass but not for total ECM root tips. The more diverse sporocarp community was found at the youngest, less fertile site. Dominant species at the sporocarp and ECM morphotype levels differed across the chronosequence. The largest proportion of sporocarp species was site-exclusive, which suggests that aboveground communities depend upon soil conditions. Contrarily, 85% of ECM morphotypes were present at least at two sites. The poor correspondence between the aboveground and belowground views of the ECM fungal community may be due to differences in sampling methodology and level of identification. Inocybe and Laccaria species were abundant fruiters at all sites, and as multisite fungi, they may be tested for inoculum efficiency to be used in reforestation programs in the surroundings of Mexico City.


Mammalia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayara Yoshie Sano ◽  
Heitor Miraglia Herrera ◽  
Grasiela Edith de Oliveira Porfirio ◽  
Filipe Martins Santos

AbstractTo date, there have been no studies that have evaluated small mammal utilization of the understory of forests. In this study, we described the use of vertical strata by small mammals in patches of unflooded forests, known as “cordilheiras”, in the Nhecolândia sub-region of the Pantanal, Brazil. We collected all species using the ground and understory, including the terrestrial didelphid Monodelphis domestica. We suppose that local habitat features (e.g., Acuri palms), rather than intrinsic species characteristics, may be more conducive to the use of understory vegetation by small mammals in the Nhecolândia region.


Biotropica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Shorohova ◽  
Ekaterina Kapitsa ◽  
Andrey Kuznetsov ◽  
Svetlana Kuznetsova ◽  
Valentin Lopes de Gerenuy ◽  
...  

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 346
Author(s):  
Linas Balčiauskas ◽  
Laima Balčiauskienė ◽  
Andrius Garbaras ◽  
Vitalijus Stirkė

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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Kataržytė ◽  
Ernestas Kutorga

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.


1992 ◽  
Vol 335 (1275) ◽  
pp. 443-457 ◽  

In lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysia, most primary forest bird species were present in areas selectively logged eight years previously. However, certain taxa, notably flycatchers, woodpeckers, trogons and wren-babblers, became comparatively rare. In contrast, nectarivorous and opportunistic frugivorous species were significantly more abundant. Few species appeared to change foraging height, but netting rates suggest that the activity of some species had increased, or that some birds ranged over larger areas after logging. Although there is still much to be learned about the survival of birds in logged forest, large areas of this habitat are important for bird conservation. However, the susceptibility of logged forest to fire, and our present incomplete understanding of bird behaviour and population dynamics in logged forests mean that they should not be considered by conservationists as alternatives to reserves of primary forest.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
Robert J. Whelan

The distribution and abundance of small terrestrial mammals were assessed in forest adjacent to powerline easements at three different sites in New South Wales. At each site, four transects of 300 m length extended into the forest from the edge of the easement. The abundances of two native species (Antechinus stuartii, Rattus fuscipes) did not differ significantly with distance from the easement but abundances differed markedly among sites. Mammals were captured in only one easement where dense vegetation was present. Feral carnivores, which may mediate edge effects on small mammals, were surveyed by using hair-sampling tubes. Cats and dogs were detected only 50–200 m inside the forest. Foxes were not detected by hair-tubes but were observed on two easements. These results suggest that powerline easements may not create edge effects in eucalypt forest for some native mammal species, although further studies are needed to determine the generality of this conclusion. We recommend that easement management should be more benign to native mammals, given the ubiquity of this form of habitat fragmentation. Promotion of dense vegetative cover and habitat linkages within easements could achieve this.


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