scholarly journals Effects of Long-Term Habitat Protection on Montane Small Mammals: Are Sorex araneus and S. minutus More Sensitive Than Previously Considered?

Diversity ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Ana Maria Benedek ◽  
Anamaria Lazăr ◽  
Niculina Viorica Cic ◽  
Maria Denisa Cocîrlea ◽  
Ioan Sîrbu
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Sorex Araneus ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Mammal Communities ◽  
Habitat Generalists

Protection of natural areas by restricting human activities aims to preserve plant and animal populations and whole communities, ensuring the conservation of biological diversity and enhancement of ecosystem services. Therefore, it is expected that the longer the protection, the stronger the desired effects. We evaluated the responses of small mammals at the population and community levels under protection in the southern Carpathian Mountains. We surveyed small mammals for five years in sites with long- and short-term protection and non-protected. Besides protection status, we included elevation, habitat heterogeneity, and the month of survey as predictors in our models. As response variables, we considered abundance, presence, species composition and species richness. Community abundance responded to all four predictors and species composition was influenced by protection status and month of study. The shrews Sorex araneus and S. minutus had positive responses to protection, both in terms of abundance and relative abundance (their ratio within the community). Our results suggest that overall, montane small mammal communities respond positively to long-term protection, especially S. araneus and S. minutus. These shrew species are considered habitat generalists, but they appear to be in fact sensitive to the habitat quality enhanced through protection.

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

1983 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 95-99
Author(s):  
Jon Forde ◽  
Norman Sloan
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
National Park ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Management Recommendations ◽  
Mammal Communities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Prairie Vegetation

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.

The helminth parasites of some small mammal communities. I. The parasites and their hosts

Parasitology ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. I. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Sorex Araneus ◽  
Clethrionomys Glareolus ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Microtus Agrestis ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Mammal Communities

1. A method of trapping small mammals has been described and Apodemus sylvaticus, Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus agrestis and Sorex araneus were captured. The method of trapping has been discussed.2. A survey of the endoparasites found in the four host species has been produced. The two more common hosts and four of their parasites have been chosen for more detailed study.3. The infection levels of the parasites in the two hosts have been calculated and compared with other published data.This work was carried out during the tenure of a Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Studentship. My thanks are due to Dr H. D. Crofton for his very helpful supervision and criticism and to Professor J. E. Harris, F.R.S., in whose department this work was done, for the facilities provided.

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.

scholarly journals Species composition of small mammals in key biotopes near Kolomak (Kharkiv Oblast)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2020 (20) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Oksana Markovska ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Sorex Araneus ◽  
Myodes Glareolus ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Apodemus Agrarius ◽  
Micromys Minutus

The study of the species composition and biotope preferences of small mammals around Kolomak had been carried out for four years (2017–2020). During the study period, 9 species of mouse-like rodents and 3 species of insectivores were found. No Cricetulus migratorius, Terricola subterraneus or Microtus oeconomus were found from the theoretically expected species already known for this area. Around Kolomak, 11 biotopes were investigated, including maple-linden oak forest, agrocenoses, dry and flooded meadows, which are located along the banks of a pond and in a gully-ravine system. The first year of research was in a year of high abundance (2017), and then 9 species were immediately discovered, but species with small abundance, such as Crocidura suaveolens, Sorex minutus, and Micromys minutus, were found in years with a small relative abundance of small mammals. Myodes glareolus, Sylvaemus tauricus and Sylvaemus uralensis are dominant species in the captures. According to the trapping results, 2017 was the year of high relative abundance of small mammals, 2018 was the year of the lowest relative abundance, 2019 and 2020 were years with an average relative abundance. During the study period, 6 species were identified in forest biotopes (Apodemus agrarius, Sylvaemus tauricus, Sylvaemus uralensis, Myodes glareolus, Sorex araneus, and Dryomys nitedula). In ecotones with floodplain biotopes, 8 species were found (Apodemus agrarius, Sylvaemus sylvaticus, Sylvaemus uralensis, Mus musculus, Micromys minutus, Myodes glareolus, and Sorex araneus). Four species (Mus musculus, Sylvaemus sylvaticus, Sylvaemus uralensis, and Microtus levis) were discovered near human settlements. In general, biotopes with the greatest species diversity and number of caught individuals are ecotones of dry and floodplain meadows. In years of high abundance, both species diversity and the number of individuals caught in the oak forest and in ecotones near the pond increased. It should be noted that Myodes glareolus was caught in clear-cuts during the two years (2019-2020) only in the summer of 2020. Earlier, not a single specimen of this species was caught there, although there is a dense weed grass cover in this area and the shrub layer has also grown up in some places, and the clear-cut is surrounded by oak forest.

THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF FERTILIZER APPLICATION AND THREE ROTATIONS ON WEED COMMUNITIES IN WHEAT (AFTER 21–22 YEARS AT INDIAN HEAD, SASKATCHEWAN)

1982 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 741-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
LARRY HUME
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Canada Thistle ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Weed Communities ◽  
Green Foxtail ◽  
Lamb’S Quarters

The effect of fertilizer application and three rotations (continuous cropping, fallow-wheat, and fallow-wheat-wheat rotations) on the species composition of the weed community was examined using rotations that had been running for 21–22 yr at Indian Head, Saskatchewan. Before spring seeding, stinkweed and lamb’s-quarters were more abundant on wheat after fallow than they were on either wheat following wheat after fallow or on continuous cropping. After seeding, continuous cropping produced the largest weed densities of green foxtail, thyme-leaved spurge, and vetch. In most instances, Canada thistle was most abundant on continuously cropped and nonfertilized plots. After spring seeding, green foxtail was the only species with a larger density on fertilized plots. Interactions between fertilizer application and rotation, and among species, influenced species composition in the weed community. Fertilizer application tended to reduce community differences between continuous cropping and short-term wheat-fallow rotations. Allelopathic effects of Canada thistle may have reduced green foxtail and redroot pigweed densities. With the use of 2-or 3-yr wheat-fallow rotations and herbicide application, weed problems can be minimized in southeastern Saskatchewan.

A comparison of small mammal communities in two High-Andean Polylepis woodlands in Ecuador

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reed Ojala-Barbour ◽  
Jorge Brito ◽  
William R. Teska
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Generalist ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Mammal Communities

Polylepis forest, historically widespread throughout high elevations of the central and northern Andes, now remain only in discontinuous small patches.  An expanding agricultural frontier, along with other anthropogenic pressures, imperils these remnants through further isolation and loss of habitat quality. Using two grids of live traps we compared the populations of small nonvolant mammals in an intact Polylepis woodland with one nearby that had been logged 50 years before. Our study is the first to examine the effects of habitat degradation and associated changes to vertical complexity and habitat heterogeneity on mammalian communities in Polylepis woodlands above 3500 m. The intact woodland had significantly more vertical complexity than the mid-successional woodland.  A total of 315 captures of 147 individuals of 9 species were sampled during an intensive trapping effort in 2010.  Trap success was especially high averaging 35.4 % and 28.1 % in the intact and mid-successional woodland, respectively.  Diversity and abundance of small mammals were greater in the intact woodland than the mid-successional site.  Forest specialist species were more abundant in the intact habitat; while Thomasomys paramorum, a habitat generalist, was dominant in both.  Habitat quality affected movement patterns of T. paramorum.  The results affirm a high diversity and density of small mammals in intact Polylepis woodland and indicate that the effects of habitat disturbance are species dependent.  We suggest that habitat specialists are more susceptible to loss of habitat heterogeneity and vertical complexity than habitat generalists. 

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 141 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 557-562 ◽  
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.

Small mammals as indicators of short-term and long-term disturbance in mixed prairie

2007 ◽  
Vol 137 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry A. Leis ◽  
David M. Leslie ◽  
David M. Engle ◽  
Jeffrey S. Fehmi
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Mixed Prairie

scholarly journals Artisanal mining impacts small mammals while chainsaw milling is a more sustainable practice in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Adjei Lawer ◽  
Anne-Christine Mupepele ◽  
Alexandra-Maria Klein
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Artisanal Mining ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Undisturbed Forest ◽  
Small Mammal Communities ◽  
Mammal Communities

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.

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