Do Breeding Nomadic Avian Predators Dampen Population Fluctuations of Small Mammals?

Oikos ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erkki Korpimäki ◽  
Kai Norrdahl ◽  
Erkki Korpimaki
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Population Fluctuations ◽  
Avian Predators

Predation rates of artificial nests in the edge and interior of a southern Victorian forest

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lainie Berry
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Forest Interior ◽  
Grey Shrike ◽  
Predation Rates

Predation rates of nests at human-induced habitat edges may be greater than in forest interior due to differences in predator assemblages and predator activity. I compared the predation rates on 192 artificial nests containing plasticine eggs placed in forest edge and interior sites at Bunyip State Park, Victoria. The nest-predation rates at the forest edge sites were significantly greater (mean = 52–58%) than that at the forest interior sites (mean = 30–39%). The relative rates of predation by birds compared with mammals were significantly greater at forest edge sites (mean = 78–94%) than at forest interior sites (mean = 36–67%). Higher rates of nest predation at forest edges appeared to be due to greater densities of avian predators such as the grey shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica), and/or lower abundances of small mammals. However, biases towards certain predator types may mask real, or create false, patterns in predation rates of artificial nests. A better understanding of how predators respond to artificial nests compared with natural nests is required. Until then, results of predation studies that use artificial nests should be interpreted with caution.

scholarly journals Visual and Olfactory Attributes of Artificial Nests

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila A. Rangen ◽  
Robert G. Clark ◽  
Keith A. Hobson
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Nest Predation ◽  
Olfactory Cues ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Mammalian Predators ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Weak Tendency

Abstract Artificial nests are commonly used to investigate relative rates of nest predation in birds, but several methodological considerations need to be addressed before results from natural and artificial nests can be compared. Using field and laboratory experiments, we examined responses of predators to visual and olfactory cues that were associated with wicker nests and their contents. Avian predators did not discriminate between wicker nests dipped in mud and those covered by a camouflage fabric, whereas mammalian predators showed a weak tendency to depredate camouflaged nests. Nests containing plasticine eggs were depredated more often than nests containing only quail eggs and finch eggs, although no response to number of plasticine eggs in nests was found. The higher predation of nests with plasticine eggs may have resulted because small mammals, relying on olfactory cues, comprised a large portion of the predator assemblage. Field results were supported in tests where captive deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were attracted to assortments of egg types that included plasticine. Time required by captive deer mice to penetrate quail eggs and finch eggs versus plasticine eggs varied as a function of egg size and shell thickness and strength. Overall, domestic finch eggs provided a better alternative to quail eggs because they were small enough to allow detection of predation events by small mammals and did not have an unnatural odor like plasticine. Potential problems with nest concealment, egg visibility, egg odors, and other factors must be resolved to enhance the design and reliability of artificial nest experiments.

scholarly journals The rodents and other small mammals of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. J Nel ◽  
I. L Rautenbach ◽  
D. A Els ◽  
G De Graaff
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
National Park ◽  
The State ◽  
Population Fluctuations ◽  
Activity Rhythms

The state of knowledge pertaining to the biology of small mammals occurring in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is reviewed with reference to completed and ongoing projects. Aspects of daily activity rhythms, habitat selection, diet, population fluctuations and changes in community structure, as well as reproduction are discussed. The zoogeography of the park is alluded to, and aspects which need ad- ditional attention are mentioned.

Small mammals in northern Lithuania: species diversity and abundance

Ekologija ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulius Alejūnas ◽  
Vitalijus Stirkė
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Small Mammals
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