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Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Low-intensity monitoring of small-mammal habitat associations and species interactions in an urban forest-preserve network

Kevin W. Cassel A D , Dana J. Morin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5612-3259 B F , Clayton K. Nielsen A , Timothy S. Preuss C E and Gary A. Glowacki C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and Department of Forestry, Southern Illinois University, 251 Life Science II, Mail Code 6504, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA.

B Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Box 9680, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.

C Lake County Forest Preserve District, 1899 West Winchester Road, Libertyville, IL 60048, USA.

D Present address: New Hanover County Government, Department of Parks and Gardens, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.

E Present address: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 28W040 State Route 58, Elgin, IL 60120, USA.

F Corresponding author. Email: dana.morin@msstate.edu

Wildlife Research 47(2) 114-127 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR18082
Submitted: 5 May 2018  Accepted: 24 August 2019   Published: 3 January 2020

Abstract

Context: Anthropogenic landscape modification and fragmentation result in loss of species and can alter ecosystem function. Assessment of the ecological value of urban reserve networks requires baseline and continued monitoring. However, depending on the desired indicators and parameters, effective monitoring can involve extensive sampling that is often financially or logistically infeasible.

Aims: We employed a low-intensity, mixed-detector survey design to monitor the small-mammal community across a network of 53 fragmented forest preserves (225 sites) in a highly urbanised landscape in the Chicago metropolitan area from August to October, 2009–2012.

Methods: We used a sequential process to fit single-season occupancy and pairwise co-occurrence models for six common small mammal species to evaluate habitat associations and interspecific interactions.

Key results: Shrew species and meadow voles occurred more often in open canopy-associated habitats, whereas occupancy was greater for eastern chipmunks, grey squirrels and white-footed mice in closed-canopy habitats. Habitat associations were complicated by negative pairwise interactions, resulting in reduced occurrence of meadow voles when predatory short-tailed shrews were present and lower occupancy rates of white-footed mouse when chipmunk competitors where present. White-footed mice co-occurred with short-tailed shrews, but detection of white-footed mice was lower when either eastern chipmunks or short-tailed shrews were present, suggesting that densities of these species could be inversely related.

Conclusions: We found evidence for both habitat segregation and interspecific interactions among small mammal species, by using low-intensity sampling across the reserve network. Thus, our sampling and analysis approach allowed for adequate assessment of the habitat associations and species interactions within a small-mammal community.

Implications: Our findings demonstrated the utility of this monitoring strategy and community as bioindicators for urban-reserve networks. The approach described holds promise for efficient monitoring of reserve networks in fragmented landscapes, critical as human population densities and urbanisation increase, and we discuss how adaptive sampling methods could be incorporated to further benefit conservation efforts.

Additional keywords: Blarina brevicauda, conditional co-occurrence, Microtus pennsylvanicus, occupancy, Peromyscus leucopus, Sciurus carolinensis, Sorex cinereus, Tamias striatus.


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