Microhabitat selection by small mammals in a southern Appalachian fen in the USA

Little ecological information is available on small mammals inhabiting wetlands in the southern Appalachian mountains of the USA. These wetland systems are becoming rare features in southern landscapes due to human activities. We investigated the small mammal fauna and examined the microhabitat asso...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wetlands ecology and management 1999-12, Vol.7 (4), p.219-224
Main Authors: Rossell, Cr, Rossell, Im
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Blarina brevicauda
Canopies
Fens
Freshwater
Mammalia
Mammals
Microhabitats
Mountains
Ochrotomys nuttalli
Peromyscus leucopus
Small mammals
USA
USA, Appalachian Mts
Wetlands
Zapus hudsonius
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Little ecological information is available on small mammals inhabiting wetlands in the southern Appalachian mountains of the USA. These wetland systems are becoming rare features in southern landscapes due to human activities. We investigated the small mammal fauna and examined the microhabitat associations of the two most abundant species in a southern Appalachian fen. Four species of small mammals were captured: the meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius), short-tailed shrew ( Blarina brevicauda), white-footed mouse ( Peromyscus leucopus), and golden mouse ( Ochrotomys nuttalli). Peromyscus and Ochrotomys, which were caught in the largest numbers, preferred sites characterized by moderate herbaceous cover and substantial canopy closure. Peromyscus, however, selected areas with greater canopy closure and higher tree densities, suggesting that they are greater habitat specialists than Ochrotomys in this wetland community.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0923-4861
1572-9834
DOI:10.1023/A:1008473029564