Impact of urban factors and invasive species on white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) habitat use and foraging behavior in an urban forest park.

Abstract

Persons, William, "Impact of urban factors and invasive species on white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) habitat use and foraging behavior in an urban forest park." (2015). Urban ecosystems demonstrate high levels of anthropogenic land-use change, modification of abiotic inputs, and altered disturbance regimes; these changes directly alter habitats. These changes result in reduced native biodiversity, creating available niches often filled by invasive species. Urban parks often serve as reserves for native species less suited to survival in urban areas, helping to preserve native biodiversity through mitigation of anthropogenic effects. Understanding what changes affect these urban parks, how the vegetative community responds, and how species (small mammals in particular) modify their behaviors to persist in these areas will increase our ability to manage urban areas for maximum biodiversity.This research project took place in Twin Parks, a forested bottomland urban park.The vegetative community, habitat structure, human presence, and the small mammal community were assessed at multiple scales. Giving-Up Density was also assessed.Chapter 1 assesses the habitat at a macro scale, determining what elements of the vegetative community, vertical structure, and environment contribute to patterns of white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) capture. Chapter 2 assesses habitat selection viii at a microhabitat scale, examining how P. leucopus uses the specific invasive Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Chapter 3 examines P. leucopus anti-predator responses in relation to coarse woody debris (CWD) and honeysuckle canopy cover using GivingUp-Density trials.White-footed mice select for areas of greater canopy cover at the macro scale.White-footed mice selected for areas with more CWD at the micro-scale, while also potentially avoiding higher invasive species richness. White-footed mice preferentially foraged under the honeysuckle canopy in response to changes in temperature and humidity. This study suggests that the interaction between P. leucopus and ground layer invasive species is complex, and that the effect of moonlight may be diminished in this urban park.ix