Factors influencing amphibian and small mammal assemblages in central Appalachian forests

Mitchell, Joseph C.; Rinehart, Sherry C.; Pagels, John F.; Buhlmann, Kurt A.; Pague, Christopher A.

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(97)00043-1

Cited by 59 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) is likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable in the province of Québec (Collin et al 1996). Our capture rate of shrews (0.03 shrew d -1 trap -1 ) is similar to that of Menzel et al (1999), who used pitfall traps alone (0.03 shrew d -1 trap -1 ), and to Mitchell et al (1997) and McLeod and Gates (1998) who used drift fences combined with pitfall traps (0.05 and 0.03 shrew d -1 trap -1 , respectively).…”

Section: Shrewssupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Other studies also showed that shrew populations remained stable after forest cutting (Kirkland 1977;Clough 1987;Brooks and Healy 1988;Mitchell et al 1997). …”

Section: Shrewsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Harper and Guynn (1999) also reported a quick recovery of the salamander population after clearcutting. Other studies, however, have noted a decline in salamander population following clearcutting for several decades (Ash 1997;Mitchell et al 1997;Pough et al 1987;Petranka et al 1994).…”

Section: Salamandersmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) is one of the most abundant small mammals in the forests of North America (Kirkland 1977;Mitchell et al 1997;McLeod and Gates 1998;Menzel et al 1999). The pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) is likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable in the province of Québec (Collin et al 1996).…”

Section: Shrewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…deMaynadier et Hunter 1995Hunter , 1998Messere and Ducey 1998;Satter and Reichenbach 1998;Harpole and Haas 1999) and shrews (Soricidae) (c.f. Kirkland 1990;Mitchell et al 1997;Menzel et al 1999). Understanding the impacts of forest management on soil fauna is essential to achieve sustainable forest management and conservation of biodiversity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of two silvicultural practices on soil fauna abundance in a northern hardwood forest, Québec, Canada

Moore¹,

Ouimet²,

Camiré³

et al. 2002

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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. Effects of two silvicultural practices on soil fauna abundance in a northern hardwood forest, Québec, Canada. Can. J. Soil Sci. 82: 105-113. Soil fauna play a key role in soil fertility and productivity of forest ecosystems and represent an important base of terrestrial food chains. The impact of forest management on soil fauna should be considered when sustainable forest management and conservation of biodiversity are desired. We evaluated the impact of selective cutting and strip clearcutting on soil fauna abundance in a northern hardwood forest of the Lower Laurentians of Québec. Twelve years after strip clearcutting, the abundance of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), collembolans (Hexapoda: Collembola) and snails (Stylommatophora: Sigmurethra) was greater in the strip clearcuts than the adjacent undisturbed strips. Snails and millipedes (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae) were more abundant in the selective cuts 6 to 8 yr after treatment. Spiders (Arachnida) were the only organism whose abundance was lower in the selective cuts than in the adjacent undisturbed forest. No significant negative effect of the silvicultural treatments was noted for the abundance of other caught organisms. This one-season sampling suggests there are few negative impacts associated with low intensity selective cutting and strip clearcutting on the abundance of soil fauna in this northern hardwood forest stands 6 to 12 yr after harvest. La faune du sol joue un rôle primordial en ce qui concerne la fertilité du sol et la productivité des écosystèmes forestiers et constitue un maillon important de la chaîne alimentaire terrestre. Les impacts des activités forestières sur les organismes du sol devraient donc être considérés dans un contexte d'aménagement forestier durable et de conservation de la biodiversité. Nous avons évalué l'impact de coupes de jardinage et de coupes totales par bandes sur l'abondance de la faune du sol dans une érablière des basses Laurentides de la région de Québec. Douze ans après la coupe totale par bandes, l'abondance des carabidés (Coleoptera: Carabidae), des collemboles (Hexapoda: Collembola) et des escargots (Stylommatophora: Sigmurethra) était plus élevée dans les bandes coupées comparativement aux bandes adjacentes non-perturbées. Les escargots et les millipèdes (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae) étaient plus abondants dans les forêts jardinées 6 à 8 ans après traitement comparativement à celles témoins. L'araignée (Arachnida) représentait le seul organisme dont l'abondance était plus faible dans les forêts jardinées comparées aux secteurs témoins. Aucun effet significatif des traitements sylvicoles n'a été décelé sur l'abondance des autres organismes capturés. Cette campagne d'échantillonnage d'une saison suggère que les coupes de jardinage de faible intensité et les coupes totales de faible superficie dans ce type de forêt engendre peu d'impacts négatifs sur l'abondance de la faune du sol 6 à 12 ans après les traitements.

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Section: Shrewssupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Other studies also showed that shrew populations remained stable after forest cutting (Kirkland 1977;Clough 1987;Brooks and Healy 1988;Mitchell et al 1997). …”

Section: Shrewsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Salamandersmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Shrewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of two silvicultural practices on soil fauna abundance in a northern hardwood forest, Québec, Canada

Moore¹,

Ouimet²,

Camiré³

et al. 2002

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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Differential responses of amphibian and reptile assemblages to size of riparian buffers within managed forests

Guzy

Halloran

Homyack

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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2019. Differential responses of amphibian and reptile assemblages to size of riparian buffers within managed forests. Ecological Applications 29(8):Abstract. Streamside management zones (i.e., riparian buffers; SMZs) are commonly implemented within managed forests to protect water quality but may also provide habitat for riparian-associated wildlife. Yet, little research has rigorously addressed the value of SMZs for wildlife, particularly for cryptic species such as amphibians and reptiles. Previous studies of herpetofauna within SMZs have focused on one or a few stream-associated species, and questions remain regarding variation among species or guilds and what role SMZs serve toward conservation of herpetofaunal diversity in managed forests. However, recent statistical advances have improved our ability to analyze large multi-species presence-absence data sets, accounting for low detection rates typical for some herpetofaunal species. Our study represents an extensive landscape-scale examination of herpetofaunal communities within SMZs using a multi-species occupancy approach. We conducted four replicate surveys at 102 headwater streams, spanning a gradient of SMZ widths and adjacent forest stand ages, within the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, USA. We used a hierarchical Bayesian community occupancy model to estimate species richness and species-specific occupancy responses to SMZ and overstory characteristics, accounting for variation in occupancy and detection attributable to site and sampling covariates. We documented high richness (37 species) within SMZs. Across the herpetofaunal community, occupancy and species richness were consistently positively associated with SMZ width, with maximum predicted richness of 30 species occurring at sites with buffers extending 51 m on either side of the stream. However, we documented considerable variation among groups and species within groups, underscoring the potential for different responses to forest management among taxa. Reptile predicted richness increased more rapidly up to SMZs of~35 m, whereas maximum salamander predicted richness was not seen until an SMZ width of 55 m. Estimated salamander richness was highest within SMZs embedded in mature managed pine stands and was higher in SMZs comprised of a deciduous or mixed overstory vs. a pine overstory. Compared to salamanders, more anuran species showed high mean estimated occupancy (>75%) at narrower SMZs (<30 m). Collectively, our results indicate that SMZs surrounding small first-order streams in intensively managed forests not only protect water quality, but also can support diverse amphibian and reptile communities.

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Gastrointestinal morphology is an effective functional dietary proxy that predicts small mammal community structure

Chapman,

McLean

2024

Ecology

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The availability and quality of food resources can alter the intensity of competition and predation pressure within communities. Understanding species capacity to respond to global change‐driven shifts in resource distribution is therefore crucial for biodiversity conservation. Small mammal communities are often structured by competition for food resources, but understanding and monitoring these processes are currently hindered by lack of functional dietary trait information in these hard‐to‐sample systems. In this study, we collected a comprehensive suite of gastrointestinal (GI) measurements from 26 small mammal species (including some never reported), compared them with more traditional craniodental traits in predicting dietary guild, and used them in a novel way to understand how diet structures 22 small mammal communities across the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. As predicted, we found GI traits to be effective dietary trait proxies; they were equally or more accurate than craniodental proportions in predicting the dietary guild of individual species. Furthermore, at the community level, we found that both the mean and functional dispersion of GI length were positively correlated with latitude and measures of temperature seasonality. Our results indicate that small mammal communities in more seasonal environments are filtered to include species with longer GI tracts (on average) as well as those that can partition food resources more finely, as expected based on the lower productivity of these regions. Conversely, communities in less seasonal environments display functional redundancy from the addition of species with short to intermediate GI lengths. Proportions of the GI tract represent novel dietary traits that can illuminate community assembly processes across regional environmental gradients and in the face of changing timing and availability of resources.

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Factors influencing amphibian and small mammal assemblages in central Appalachian forests

Cited by 59 publications

References 21 publications

Effects of two silvicultural practices on soil fauna abundance in a northern hardwood forest, Québec, Canada

Effects of two silvicultural practices on soil fauna abundance in a northern hardwood forest, Québec, Canada

Differential responses of amphibian and reptile assemblages to size of riparian buffers within managed forests

Gastrointestinal morphology is an effective functional dietary proxy that predicts small mammal community structure

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