Detection of Preble's Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonius preblei) Following Low-Severity Fire

Wildfire activity in the western United States has increased in recent decades and is predicted to continue increasing. As wildfires cause landscape-level habitat modifications, understanding how wildlife respond to these disturbances is crucial. The Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsoni...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Western North American naturalist 2019-12, Vol.79 (4), p.597-602
Main Authors: Bjornlie, Nichole L., Thompson, Joel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breeding
Dipodidae
Ecosystems
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered species
Environmental changes
Forest ecosystems
Forests
Grasses
Habitats
Meadows
Mice
Small mammals
Surveys
Threatened species
Wildfires
Wildlife
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife habitats
Zapus hudsonius preblei
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Summary:Wildfire activity in the western United States has increased in recent decades and is predicted to continue increasing. As wildfires cause landscape-level habitat modifications, understanding how wildlife respond to these disturbances is crucial. The Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) is listed as federally threatened, but little information is available on population responses to wildfire. We conducted live-capture surveys prior to and following a natural low-severity fire in eastern Wyoming. Although we did not detect jumping mice in the year following wildfire, we documented a breeding population both immediately prior to and 2 years following fire. Captures of other small mammals varied greatly, with >7 times as many captures 2 years postfire compared to other years. Understanding the effects of disturbance on population persistence is vital not only to ensure conservation objectives are met for this threatened species, but also to evaluate impacts of changes in fire activity to ecosystems overall.
ISSN:1527-0904
1944-8341
DOI:10.3398/064.079.0414