Small mammal community maintains stability through compensatory dynamics after restoration of a ponderosa pine forest

Abstract

Citation: Kalies, E. L., and W. W. Covington. 2012. Small mammal community maintains stability through compensatory dynamics after restoration of a ponderosa pine forest. Ecosphere 3(9):78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00143.1Abstract. Ecosystem stability has been of increasing interest in the past several decades as it helps predict the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystems. Species may exhibit stability through compensation, with greatly fluctuating populations year to year but a consistent density response over time. Stability is increased when species with similar functional roles compensate for one another by responding differently to environmental change. In restoration projects, the objective is to restore stability by altering ecosystem composition, structure, and function to resemble natural (''reference'') conditions. We assessed the success of ecological restoration treatments by examining the structural and functional responses of the small mammal community before and after treatment, and compared to reference conditions. We used Royle density models to examine the responses of eight species of small mammals to restoration (thinning) treatments in ponderosa pine forests to determine if the community maintained total density, biomass, and function (represented by ectomycorrhizal fungi dispersion) after disturbance. Community composition differed in each of 6 years following treatment, but total density and biomass remained constant, suggesting the community is a stable prey base for predators. In addition, goldenmantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) and gray-collared chipmunks (Tamias cinereicollis) appeared to play a similar role in dispersing ectomycorrhizal fungi across different forest structures. Both total species density and biomass were greater after thinning than in unthinned stands, and were similar to reference stands. These results suggest that although species composition changes from year to year after disturbance, restoration treatments can maintain ecosystem stability in terms of small mammal community-level properties.

The response of small mammal communities to low and high fire recurrences in Kafue National Park, Zambia

“…Small mammals assume various roles in ecosystem functioning. Th ey act upon plant communities due to herbivory and seed predation (Young et al, 2015), as agents of soil aeration and creation through their burrowing activities (Martin, 2003;Kalies & Covington, 2012), pests and pest controllers through their consumption of large amounts of vegetation and invertebrates (Seig, 1987;Timbuka & Kabigumila, 2006), and as food for a variety of predators in ecosystems ). Yet their importance in ecosystems such as the Kafue National Park (KNP) is oft en overlooked, as they do not attract as much attention compared to the large charismatic species in the park.…”

Community stability is related to animal diversity change

“…Challenges in accomplishing this persist because most experimental and empirical work on the relationship between community stability and biodiversity has poor replication across ecosystems or geographies. Grassland and aquatic systems remain disproportionately represented (Donohue et al, 2016), constraining the taxonomic scope largely to plants (e.g., García‐Palacios et al, 2018; Sasaki & Lauenroth, 2011; Usinowicz et al, 2017), phytoplankton (Rocha et al, 2011; Vallina et al, 2017), and zooplankton (Howeth & Leibold, 2010; Pennekamp et al, 2018), with comparatively fewer studies focused on invertebrate and vertebrate fauna (e.g., fish—Shimadzu et al, 2013; small mammals—Kalies & Covington, 2012). Most studies additionally rely on experimental designs with limited or no spatial replication (Hector et al, 2010; Tilman et al, 2006; but see García‐Palacios et al, 2018, Oehri et al, 2017, Wilcox et al, 2017, for examples for plants), or use controlled mesocosm environments that may not resemble the environmental complexity inherent to natural or seminatural ecosystems (Cottingham et al, 2001; Fried‐Petersen et al, 2020).…”