Influence of landscape heterogeneity and meteorological features on small mammal abundance and richness in a coastal wetland system, NW Portugal

Marques, Sara; Rocha, Rita Gomes; Mendes, Eduardo; Fonseca, Carlos; Ferreira, Joaquim P.

doi:10.1007/s10344-015-0952-2

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…We identified separation of dominant species by time and by isotopic partitioning of sympatric species, but not by intraspecific differences in diet (with one exception). Because flooded meadows are a resource‐rich habitat (Marques et al, ; Wijnhoven, Van Der Velde, Leuven, & Smits, ), unfavored small mammal community states with increased competition of several species from the same group were possible in five out of the nine years. Core areas of the three most abundant species in the isotopic space were separated, showing their dependence on different dietary resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One possible explanation at this locality lies in the abundance of a prevailing lush herbaceous vegetation (Wijnhoven et al, ) and of reed seeds at the flooded sites (Marques et al, ). Alternatively, the changing structure of the small mammal community as it reoccupied the vacant area after a particularly high flood may also explain this unusual co‐occurrence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One possible explanation at this locality lies in the abundance of a prevailing lush herbaceous vegetation (Wijnhoven et al, 2005) and of reed seeds at the flooded sites (Marques et al, 2015).…”

Section: Diet Differences and Favored Statesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Alternative means to coexist can be through a spatial arrangement of species (Myllymäki, ; Wilson et al, ), differing diets (Shiels et al, ), or via dietary separation of species with similar requirements, that is, resource partitioning (Calandra et al, ; Dueser & Shuggart, ; Meserve, ; Schoener, ; Symes, Wilson, Woodborne, Shaikh, & Scantlebury, ). Additional drivers may also influence the temporal and spatial placement of resources and small mammals (Balestrieri et al, ; Marques, Rocha, Mendes, Fonseca, & Ferreira, ; Sozio & Mortelliti, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…coexist can be through a spatial arrangement of species (Myllymäki, 1977;Wilson et al, 2014), differing diets (Shiels et al, 2013), or via dietary separation of species with similar requirements, that is, resource partitioning (Calandra et al, 2015;Dueser & Shuggart, 1979;Meserve, 1981;Schoener, 1974;Symes, Wilson, Woodborne, Shaikh, & Scantlebury, 2013). Additional drivers may also influence the temporal and spatial placement of resources and small mammals (Balestrieri et al, 2017;Marques, Rocha, Mendes, Fonseca, & Ferreira, 2015;Sozio & Mortelliti, 2016). River floodplains, affected by periodic floods, are productive and heterogeneous habitats (Mathar, Kleinebecker, & Hölzel, 2015), suitable for small mammals (Wijnhoven, Smits, Van der Velde, & Leuven, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Resource partitioning confirmed by isotopic signatures allows small mammals to share seasonally flooded meadows

Balčiauskas

Skipitytė

Balčiauskienė

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Meadows in river deltas are characterized by a high diversity and abundance of small mammals. However, neither their spatial arrangement nor differences in their use of microhabitat can necessarily explain the dense co‐occurrence of sympatric species. We investigated how several small mammal species share a seasonally flooded meadow of limited size, testing predictions (P1) that herbivore, granivore, insectivore, and omnivore species are separated in time (dominant in different years), (P2) that sympatric species undergo isotopic partitioning, and (P3) that there are intraspecific differences in diet. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures in the hair of seven synantropic shrew, vole, and mice species were used as a proxy for their diet. We found that the three most abundant species in eight of the nine years were from different diet groups. However, based on the number of species in the functional groups, the state of small mammal community was considered unfavored in five out of the nine investigation years. In years with the greatest dominance of Apodemus agrarius , the small mammal community was characterized by decreased diversity and Micromys minutus was either in low abundance or absent. In 2014 and 2016, years of low abundance or absence of M. oeconomus , M. agrestis, and M. glareolus were both recorded in high numbers. Differences in the isotopic signatures of the three most abundant small mammal species in the community were clearly expressed and core areas in the isotopic space were separated, showing their dependence on different dietary resources. Intraspecific dietary separation between young and adult animals was observed only in M. oeconomus . Thus, the high species diversity of small mammals and the formation of their community in this investigated flooded meadow are maintained by isotopic partitioning (segregation in dietary space) and by changes in their number over time (shifting dominance).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%