SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITIES IN NEVADA'S SWAMP CEDAR WOODLANDS, A GLOBALLY UNIQUE AND IMPERILED HABITAT

We conducted the first assessment of small mammal diversity for three unusually low-elevation stands of Rocky Mountain juniper, known locally as swamp cedars, in White Pine County, Nevada, between 24 May and 1 June 2016. These small patches of woodland add considerable habitat diversity to the expan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Southwestern naturalist 2019-03, Vol.64 (1), p.1-7
Main Authors: Kohli, Brooks A, Charlet, David A, Rowe, Rebecca J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cedar
Elevation
Environmental aspects
FEATURE ARTICLES
Groundwater
Habitats
Juniperus scopulorum
Mammals
Mice
Mountains
Peromyscus truei
Rivers
Small mammals
Swamps
Trapping
Trees
Valleys
Vegetation
Woodlands
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Summary:We conducted the first assessment of small mammal diversity for three unusually low-elevation stands of Rocky Mountain juniper, known locally as swamp cedars, in White Pine County, Nevada, between 24 May and 1 June 2016. These small patches of woodland add considerable habitat diversity to the expansive low-elevation shrublands in Spring Valley and White River Valley. Spring Valley stands supported unique small mammal communities, most notably through the occurrence of pinyon mice (Peromyscus truei). In contrast, no pinyon mice were detected in the much sparser and smaller White River Valley stand. Instead, it harbored typical Great Basin shrubland mammals. Our results suggest the novel communities in Spring Valley swamp cedar habitats may be threatened by planned groundwater removal.
ISSN:0038-4909
1943-6262
DOI:10.1894/0038-4909-64-1-1