Managing for Habitat Heterogeneity in Grassland Agro-Ecosystems Influences the Abundance of Masked Shrews (<i>Sorex cinereus</i>)

Nocera, Joseph J.; Dawe, Kimberly L.

doi:10.1080/10440040802257132

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Native plantings provide more heterogeneous habitat than DNC. This heterogeneity likely created more suitable habitats for alternative prey, especially small mammals [73,77,78]. If native plantings supported more alternative prey, nest predators may have responded resulting in a more dramatic increase in predation of nests relative to DNC as generalist predators became more abundant [79-83].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Duck Productivity in Restored Species-Rich Native and Species-Poor Non-Native Plantings

2013

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Conservation efforts to increase duck production have led the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to restore grasslands with multi-species (3-5) mixtures of introduced cool season vegetation often termed dense nesting cover (DNC). The effectiveness of DNC to increase duck production has been variable, and maintenance of the cover type is expensive. In an effort to decrease the financial and ecological costs (increased carbon emissions from plowing and reseeding) of maintaining DNC and provide a long-term, resilient cover that will support a diversity of grassland fauna, restoration of multi-species (16-32) plantings of native plants has been explored. We investigated the vegetation characteristics, nesting density and nest survival between the 2 aforementioned cover types in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, USA from 2010–2011 to see if restored-native plantings provide similar benefits to nesting hens as DNC. We searched 14 fields (7 DNC, 271 ha; and 7 restored native, 230 ha) locating 3384 nests (1215 in restored-native vegetation and 2169 in DNC) in 2010-2011. Nest survival was similar between cover types in 2010, while DNC had greater survival than native plantings in 2011. Densities of nests adjusted for detection probability were not different between cover types in either year. We found no structural difference in vegetation between cover types in 2010; however, a difference was detected during the late sampling period in 2011 with DNC having deeper litter and taller vegetation. Our results indicate restored-native plantings are able to support similar nesting density as DNC; however, nest survival is more stable between years in DNC. It appears the annual variation in security between cover types goes undetected by hens as hens selected cover types at similar levels both years.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Duck Productivity in Restored Species-Rich Native and Species-Poor Non-Native Plantings

2013

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“…Despite being highly effective in controlling rodent populations (Tosh et al . 2011 ), SGARs persist in animal tissues (Erickson & Urban 2004 ) and accumulate in the bodies of rodents, leading to contamination of terrestrial predators, scavengers, and beneficial non‐target species such as shrews (Nocera & Dawe 2008 ; Elliott et al . 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For decades, second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) have been used worldwide to control rodent populations (Buckle & Smith 2015). Despite being highly effective in controlling rodent populations (Tosh et al 2011), SGARs persist in animal tissues (Erickson & Urban 2004) and accumulate in the bodies of rodents, leading to contamination of terrestrial predators, scavengers, and beneficial non-target species such as shrews (Nocera & Dawe 2008;Elliott et al 2016). In addition to SGARs causing secondary poisoning, there is considerable evidence that rodents become genetically resistant through mutations to enzymes involved in the catalysis of Vitamin K (Rost et al 2004;Desvars-Larrive et al 2017;Berny et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of fertility versus mortality control on the demographics of Mastomys natalensis in maize fields

et al. 2021

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The multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis, is the most common rodent pest species in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, rodenticides are the preferred method used to reduce the population of rodent pests, but this method poses direct and indirect risks to humans and other non-target species. Fertility control is a promising alternative that has been argued to be a more sustainable and humane method for controlling rodent pests. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of fertility control bait EP-1 (quinestrol (E) and levonorgestrel (P), 10 ppm) and an anticoagulant rodenticide bait (bromadiolone, 50 ppm) on the population dynamics of M. natalensis in maize fields in Zambia during 2 cropping seasons. M. natalensis was the most abundant species in maize fields (77% of total captures). Fertility control reduced the number of juveniles and suppressed population growth of M. natalensis at the end of the 2019-2020 cropping season. The population density initially decreased after rodenticide treatment, but the population rapidly recovered through immigration. None of the treatments influenced maize damage by rodents at germination (F 2,67 = 1.626, P = 0.204). Applying the treatments during the maize seeding time was effective at suppressing population growth at the end of the cropping season than application the month before maize seeding. This research indicates that a single-dose delivery of EP-1 and rodenticide have comparable effects on the population dynamics of M. natalensis. These findings are important in developing fertility control protocols for rodent pest populations to reduce maize crop damage and improve yields.

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“…Agriculture practices that promote heterogeneous habitat types are known to provide conservation benefits in the form of biodiversity [40]. Community irrigation systems have the potential to modify riparian habitat by increasing soil moisture and elevating the water table to enhance native riparian vegetation [15].…”

Section: Connections Between Valley Communities and Their Upland Watementioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Sustainability of Water, Environment, Livelihood, and Culture in Traditional Irrigation Communities and Their Linked Watersheds

et al. 2012

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Water scarcity, land use conversion and cultural and ecosystem changes threaten the way of life for traditional irrigation communities of the semi-arid southwestern United States. Traditions are strong, yet potential upheaval is great in these communities that rely on acequia irrigation systems. Acequias are ancient ditch systems brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the New World over 400 years ago; they are simultaneously gravity flow water delivery systems and shared water governance institutions. Acequias have survived periods of drought and external shocks from changing economics, demographics, and OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2012, 4 2999 resource uses. Now, climate change and urbanization threaten water availability, ecosystem functions, and the acequia communities themselves. Do past adaptive practices hold the key to future sustainability, or are new strategies required? To explore this issue we translated disciplinary understanding into a uniform format of causal loop diagrams to conceptualize the subsystems of the entire acequia-based human-natural system. Four subsystems are identified in this study: hydrology, ecosystem, land use/economics, and sociocultural. Important linkages between subsystems were revealed as well as variables indicating community cohesion (e.g., total irrigated land, intensity of upland grazing, mutualism). Ongoing work will test the conceptualizations with field data and modeling exercises to capture tipping points for non-sustainability and thresholds for sustainable water use and community longevity.

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Managing for Habitat Heterogeneity in Grassland Agro-Ecosystems Influences the Abundance of Masked Shrews (Sorex cinereus)

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

Duck Productivity in Restored Species-Rich Native and Species-Poor Non-Native Plantings

Duck Productivity in Restored Species-Rich Native and Species-Poor Non-Native Plantings

Impact of fertility versus mortality control on the demographics of Mastomys natalensis in maize fields

Modeling Sustainability of Water, Environment, Livelihood, and Culture in Traditional Irrigation Communities and Their Linked Watersheds

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