Structure and composition of small mammal assemblages are excellent indicators of habitat quality and often used to study impacts of perturbations such as wildfires on faunal communities. One of the most efficient and widely used tools for assessing small mammalian assemblages are hair-tubes. Despite their efficiency, they are often damaged by non-target species such as wild boar (Sus scrofa). However, the impact of such damage on the use of hair-tubes has apparently never been formally assessed. In this study, wildlife-induced disturbance of hair-tube sampling was quantified in the mountain chain of Monte Pisano (Italy), a fire-prone area. At each site, two hair-tubes were tied together to form a “pan-pipe” and placed in three repetitions. Disturbances were measured, including camera-traps to identify damaging species. Although approximately 27% (N=164/600) of pan-pipes were disturbed, two pan-pipes per site resulted in 96.5% undisturbed pan-pipes. Unexpectedly, as the most frequently disturbed pan-pipes were those monitored by camera-traps, our rates were considered overestimates. Perhaps this was due to attraction of the wild boars, by means of olfactory/acoustic signals. Boar was the wild species with the greatest impact on pan-pipes, and its impact and rates of all wildlife disturbances did not differ among habitats. Furthermore, displaced tubes were not significantly different from undisturbed tubes in terms of numbers of hairs collected and biodiversity estimates. To avoid data loss when conducting pan-pipe monitoring, we suggest using at least two pan-pipes per site. Finally, displaced tubes that are retrieved should provide reliable data.

The Habitat Accommodation Model (HAM) predicts wildlife community recovery based on vegetation structure. However, studies on HAM in the Mediterranean basin are scarce. Here, we described the assemblage of small mammals in a Mediterranean area ~ 3 years after a fire, specifically examining three functional small mammalian categories: ground-foraging insectivorous, ground-foraging herbivorous/granivorous and arboreal-foraging species. The study was conducted in Monte Pisano (Italy), where a September 2018 fire burned ~ 12 km2. A stratified random sampling was adopted, basing on burnt status and forest type. In each site, during late spring-summer 2021, hair-tube sampling was conducted, and collected hair were species-attributed. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) explored assemblage composition, and single-species occupancy models tested hypotheses for the identified species. Crocidura spp. and Apodemus spp. abundances were not significantly associated with any factor tested. Abundances of house mouse Mus domesticus and Savi’s pine vole Microtus savii were higher in the burnt area. Garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus had higher abundance in pine forest, whereas red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris was more abundant in chestnut forest. The overall greater abundance of ground-foraging herbivorous/granivorous in the burnt area, characterised by a dense undergrowth, could be related to anti-predatory strategies and food opportunities. Insectivorous could be in a recolonisation phase that would hide their earlier absence. Arboreal-foraging species were associated with forest type, regardless of burnt status. The HAM was overall confirmed also in Mediterranean basin ecosystems, probably due to their temperate climate. This may facilitate predictions about post-fire animal successions, which will be even more crucial in future.

No abstract

No abstract