Patterns of Small Mammal Microhabitat Utilization in Cedar Glade and Deciduous Forest Habitats

1985 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. W. Seagle
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Cedar Glade ◽  
Forest Habitats

Dung longevity influences the fate of endozoochorically dispersed seeds in forest ecosystems

Botany ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 779-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan Jaroszewicz ◽  
Ewa Pirożnikow
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
European Bison ◽  
Plant Establishment ◽  
Seed Content ◽  
Closed Canopy ◽  
Seedling Germination ◽  
Forest Habitats

Many studies show large discrepancies between the potential (studied in the greenhouse) and realized (studied in the field) effects of endozoochory. The influence of environmental conditions on the fate of endozoochorically dispersed seeds and subsequent plant establishment is still not well understood. We addressed this issue by studying the viable seed content of the dung of European bison ( Bison bonasus L.) by means of seedling germination in the greenhouse and in two forest habitats in Białowieża Primeval Forest. The number of seedlings and the number of plant species that emerged from 1 L of feces were positively correlated with dung longevity. Generative shoots were produced by plants only in coniferous forest. Their number was positively correlated with dung longevity and with light availability. Germination of seeds from bison feces was higher in coniferous forest than in deciduous forest but did not differ between open- and closed-canopy plots within the same habitat. We conclude that (i) seed germination and plant establishment after endozoochorous dispersal is influenced by dung longevity; (ii) the number of generative shoots produced by endozoochorously dispersed plants is influenced by dung longevity and light availability; (iii) seeds of some plant species, present in dung, stay viable for at least 3 years.

Restored meadow harvestman communities (Opiliones) in the Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area, Czech Republic

Biologia ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavomír Stašiov ◽  
Karel Tajovský ◽  
Květoslav Resl
Keyword(s):  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Pitfall Trapping ◽  
Successive Formation ◽  
Seed Mixture ◽  
Forest Habitats

AbstractHarvestman communities inhabiting plots treated differently for grassland restoration were investigated at the Výzkum site near Malá Vrbka village (Bílé Karpaty Protected Landscape Area). Harvestman were sampled by pitfall trapping from 1999 to 2003 on plots sown with native haymeadow seed mixture, also on plots where narrow strips of regional seed mixtures were sown either within a matrix of commercial grass mixture or within vegetation cover in natural regeneration state and on plots in a natural regeneration state. Additionally, harvestman were collected in a field under permanent crop rotation and in a neighbouring xerothermic deciduous forest. In total, 5,086 individuals of harvestman representing 15 species from three families were obtained. Phalangium opilio was dominant (78%) and P. opilio, Rilaena triangularis and Zachaeus crista were the most frequent species. The results confirmed colonisation and subsequent development of harvestman communities on meadows in various state of restoration, including plots with spontaneous plant succession. Nevertheless, biotope character and successive formation of plant cover evidently influenced the structure of harvestman communities. The highest number of taxa (12) was recorded on plots with natural regeneration; the lowest one (9) was recorded in the field with permanent crop rotation. The highest values of diversity and equitability indices of harvestman communities were found in neighbouring forest habitats representing possible sources of harvestman migration.

The use of index trap lines to estimate population numbers of deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in a forest environment in British Columbia

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Petticrew ◽  
R. M. F. S. Sadleir
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Forest Environment ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Index Line ◽  
Live Trapping ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Total Capture ◽  
Forest Habitats

Monthly live trapping of three 1-hectare grids in differing forest habitats was carried out over an 8-month period. Immediately after 2 nights of trapping on each grid a central index line was trapped for a further 2 nights. The total capture numbers., numbers of males, and numbers of females of deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus) on the index line correlated significantly with the same parameters on the grid. In addition, survival rates and body weights were almost identical and similar representation of other small mammal species was determined by both arrangements of traps. It is suggested that the index line may be a more efficient method of sampling small mammal populations.

Influence of abundance of small-mammal burrows and conspecifics on the density and distribution of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in terrestrial habitats

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 596-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan V Regosin ◽  
Bryan S Windmiller ◽  
J Michael Reed
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
High Density ◽  
Ambystoma Maculatum ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Spotted Salamander ◽  
Inactive Period ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Breeding Pond

Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) distributions were studied within eighteen 272-m2 field enclosures in upland deciduous forest adjacent to two breeding ponds. The enclosures were subsequently used in experiments involving (i) removal of small-mammal burrows to determine if burrow abundance influenced salamander density and (ii) manipulation of salamander densities to determine if increased density was associated with decreased growth, fecundity, or probability of re-emerging to breed. Mean density of salamanders wintering in enclosures <65 m from the breeding ponds was 1.0/100 m2 (SD = 1.1/100 m2, n = 17, range = 0–4.0/100 m2). Density declined as distance to the nearest breeding pond increased, and the sex ratio was skewed sharply toward males (8:1) wintering close (<65 m) to the pond but not farther from the pond (1:1). Males residing within the enclosures weighed more than males wintering farther from the breeding ponds. Migrating salamanders were over 3 times more likely to leave burrow-removal plots than control plots prior to the summer inactive period. Salamanders housed at high density (15/enclosure) were less likely to re-emerge to breed than were salamanders housed at low density (5/enclosure), but we observed no effects on growth or fecundity. Results suggest that conspecific distribution and burrow availability might affect the density of spotted salamanders within terrestrial habitats.

On remarkable Pachylaelaps species with unusual sperm induction system in females (Acari, Mesostigmata, Pachylaelapidae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Masan ◽  
Samaneh Mojahed ◽  
Jalil Hajizadeh ◽  
Reza Hosseini ◽  
Ali Ahadiyat
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Tubular Structures ◽  
Induction System ◽  
First Time ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Forest Habitats

In our study of the pachylaelapid mites from Iran, a new remarkable species, Pachylaelaps (Pachylaelaps) prodigiosus sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on adult stages found in soil detritus of broadleaved deciduous forest habitats. The sperm induction system detected in females of the new species is unusual in having its tubular structures exclusively associated with coxae III instead of coxae IV, as found in all other members of the genus. An adult male of P. (P.) grandis Koroleva, 1977, a similar species with analogous sperm induction system in female, is described for the first time. A new species group in the subgenus Pachylaelaps, represented by P. (P.) grandis, P. (P.) kirghizorum Koroleva, 1977 and P. (P.) prodigiosus sp. nov., is newly constituted, and its specific characters of insemination apparatus discussed. 

Dynamics of ground-nest egg depredation by rodents in a mixed-wood forest

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremie Bouffard ◽  
Dany Garant ◽  
Patrick Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Fagus Grandifolia ◽  
Motion Sensing ◽  
Cyanocitta Cristata ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Tamias Striatus ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Rodent Populations ◽  
Forest Habitats

Predation is a leading cause of nest failure in birds, which has significant consequences on their population dynamics. Rodents commonly prey on nests in deciduous forest habitats. This has important implications considering how rodent populations fluctuate with changes in resource availability, such as synchronized but intermittent tree-seed production (mast). In this study, we investigated ground-nest egg predation by rodents over 2 years characterized by high and low beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) seed availability (mast vs. no-mast years). We used artificial nests monitored by motion-sensing cameras on a study site where eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus (Linnaeus, 1758)) local abundance was known. We placed the artificial nests in areas of high and low chipmunk abundance as proxy of predation risk. Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758)) depredated the most eggs overall, but rodent population and egg depredation increased in 2018 following the 2017 mast. However, chipmunks were minor predators and their local abundance did not reflect predation risk. Our results highlight the complexity of predation dynamics on ground-nesting birds and the importance of studying them locally and over multiple years.

Organization of the Niagara Escarpment cliff community. II. Characterization of the physical environment

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 1931-1941 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Bartlett ◽  
U. Matthes-Sears ◽  
D. W. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Environmental Gradient ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Thuja Occidentalis ◽  
Active Radiation ◽  
Niagara Escarpment ◽  
Forest Habitats

In cliff-edge forests along the Niagara Escarpment, an array of species, including Thuja occidentals, is restricted to the cliff edge while different species, including Acer saccharum, are increasingly dominant away from the cliff on the plateau. This paper presents detailed analyses of 13 components of the physical environment, measured over an 18-month period, as they change across the plateau and towards the cliff edge. Statistically significant differences between the cliff-edge habitat and the adjacent deciduous forest were found in most of the 13 variables, and the results indicate a strong environmental gradient between the cliff edge and deciduous forest habitats. Lower and more rapidly fluctuating soil moisture levels combined with low photosynthetically active radiation at the cliff edge suggest that conditions there are frequently more severe for plants than in the deciduous forest in summer. Additionally, the cliff edge was snow free during the winter and the soils were frozen for a more protracted period than the deciduous forest soils. Soil and litter depths decreased significantly from the deciduous forest toward the cliff edge. The effects of these differences are discussed with reference to the characteristics of species that dominate the deciduous and coniferous cliff-edge zones. Key words: cliff, gradient, Thuja occidentalis, Acer saccharum, microclimate, Niagara Escarpment.

Comparisons of the composition of foliage-dwelling spider assemblages in apple orchards and adjacent deciduous forest

2008 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.E. Sackett ◽  
C.M. Buddle ◽  
C. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Apple Orchards ◽  
Physical Disturbance ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Spider Species ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Structural Disturbance ◽  
Forest Habitats

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that annual crops have different spider (Araneae) assemblages than adjacent relatively natural habitats, suggesting that spider recolonization of crops occurs via long-distance ballooning and that spider species in crops are mainly agrobionts. However, in perennial crops, e.g., apple (Malus domestica Borkhausen (Rosaceae)), which are subject to less physical disturbance than annual crops, overlap in spider species has been observed between tree foliage and adjacent habitats, suggesting that spiders colonize orchards from adjacent vegetation. The objective of this study was to compare the species composition of assemblages of foliage-dwelling spiders in apple orchards with that in adjacent deciduous forest and to determine whether spider assemblages in orchards are dominated by agrobiont species. Spiders were collected from four apple orchards and adjacent deciduous forest in southern Quebec from May until August 2004. The similarity of assemblages between the orchard and forest habitats was evaluated using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and multiresponse permutation procedures and spider species richness in the two habitat types was compared using rarefaction. Although spider species richness was higher in the forest than in the orchards, the composition of the spider assemblages in apple orchards was not significantly different from that in adjacent deciduous forest at three of the four sites. Therefore, adjacent deciduous forest, which is similar to orchards in vegetation structure and frequency of structural disturbance, is likely the main source of spiders found in apple orchards.

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