A meta-analysis of the effects of wildfire, clearcutting, and partial harvest on the abundance of North American small mammals

Zwolak, Rafał

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.05.033

Cited by 162 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 68 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…We were motivated by two major observations. First, several studies demonstrate that parasites negatively influence reproduction in rodents (Neuhaus 2003, Deter et al 2007, Vandegrift et al 2008, Hillegass et al 2010, suggesting that a decrease in parasitism could explain the increase in mouse reproduction that we have observed in burned forest (Zwolak andForesman 2008, Zwolak et al 2012). Secondly, we also had reasons to suspect that fire could suppress parasite populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are generalist North American rodents known to increase in abundance after forest disturbances (Zwolak 2009). These increases are particularly pronounced after stand-replacement fires, with population densities in burned forest usually 2-5 times higher than in unburned forest (Krefting and Ahlgren 1974, Clough 1987, Crête et al 1995, Kyle and Block 2000, Zwolak and Foresman 2008, Zwolak et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Deer mice have similar survival and increased reproduction in burned vs. unburned forest, which suggests that burned forest is high quality habitat for deer mice and not a population sink (Zwolak andForesman 2008, Zwolak et al 2012). Food abundance appears similar or lower in burned than in unburned forest (Zwolak et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Reduced ectoparasite loads of deer mice in burned forest: From fleas to trees?

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. We tested whether reduced parasite loads might contribute to high post-fire abundances of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). We performed parasite examinations of 54 mice captured in burned forest in the area of Davis Fire (western Montana, USA), and 26 mice captured in nearby unburned forest. Mean abundance of ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, and lice) was lower in burned than in unburned forest. The difference was particularly pronounced for fleas, which were reduced by 70% in burned forest. Endoparasites (i.e., nematodes and cestodes) were unaffected. Mechanisms for the lower mean abundance of fleas in burned areas are not known, but might involve flea mortality in burrows during fire or decreased transmission, survival, or both in the post-fire environment. We propose several hypothetical pathways through which reduced ectoparasite loads could cause an increase in deer mouse abundance, such as improved health status or increased foraging efficiency of mice, both of which could translate into the increased reproduction that has been reported in mice from burned forest. We encourage experimental tests of the ectoparasite release hypothesis of the post-fire increase in deer mouse abundance.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Reduced ectoparasite loads of deer mice in burned forest: From fleas to trees?

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Spotted owls likely forage in complex early seral forests because abundant dead trees for perch sites are available for this sit-and-wait predator (Carey and Peeler 1995) and the small mammal prey base can increase in such habitat, particularly deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus; Zwolak 2009, Fontaine and Kennedy 2012, Borchert et al 2014. Under this study design, all spotted owl sites were confirmed occupied prior to post-fire logging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of post-fire logging on California spotted owl occupancy

Hanson¹,

Bond²,

Lee³

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In fire-adapted forest ecosystems around the world, there has been growing concern about adverse impacts of post-fire logging on native biodiversity and ecological processes. This is also true in conifer forests of California, U.S.A. which are home to a rare and declining owl subspecies, the California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis). While there has been recent concern about the California spotted owl occupancy in large fire areas where some territories have substantial high-severity fire effects, the influence of post-fire logging on the California spotted owl occupancy has been investigated very little, leading to some uncertainty about interpretation of conflicting results in different large fires. Research has found these owls preferentially select high-severity fire areas, characterised by high levels of snags and native shrubs, for foraging in forests that were not logged after fire, suggesting that removal of this foraging habitat might impact occupancy. The authors assessed the effect of post-fire logging and high-severity fire, on occupancy of this subspecies in eight large fire areas, within spotted owl sites with two different levels of high-severity fire effects. They found a significant adverse effect of such logging and no effect of high-severity fire alone. These results indicate it is post-fire logging, not large fires themselves, that poses a conservation threat to this imperilled species. RESEARCH ARTICLE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalChad T. Hanson et al. / Nature Conservation 24: 93-105 (2018) 94

show abstract

“…Key candidate mechanisms in the Sierra Nevada include the legacy of a century of fire exclusion and timber extraction, as well as their interaction (Naficy et al 2010). Fire has obvious impacts on wildlife habitat and may substantially influence small mammal assemblage composition (Converse et al 2006c;Amacher et al 2008;Zwolak 2009). Fire suppression was standard policy through most of the 20th Century (Kauffman 2004;Stephens and Ruth 2005), wheras extractive efforts amplified greatly after the 2nd World War (Ruth 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%