Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands
The degradation of dry woodlands in South America by agricultural activities affects wildlife through a decrease in available habitat and fine-scale changes in habitat structure. The impact of land use can be perceived by small, mobile organisms as preventing or facilitating their movement through a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420308891 |
| _version_ | 1828945613242236928 |
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| author | Florencia Spirito Mary Rowland Michael Wisdom Solana Tabeni |
| author_facet | Florencia Spirito Mary Rowland Michael Wisdom Solana Tabeni |
| author_sort | Florencia Spirito |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The degradation of dry woodlands in South America by agricultural activities affects wildlife through a decrease in available habitat and fine-scale changes in habitat structure. The impact of land use can be perceived by small, mobile organisms as preventing or facilitating their movement through and among habitats, consequently altering ecosystem functions. By tracking with radiotelemetry we describe for the first time the pattern of movement of a small mammal (Graomys griseoflavus) that inhabits dry woodland ecosystems in South America and its relationship with environmental features that affect movement. We measured environmental variables linked to the ecological requirements of the species (e.g., plant cover and patches of forage species consumed) in restored and grazed woodlands and compared movements between seasons (dry and wet). We found that the fine-scale differences in the vegetation cover associated with livestock grazing changed the mobility and use of space of this small mammal. The step-lengths and used area for G. griseoflavus were greater under passive restoration compared to the area grazed by livestock. Small rodents moved between patches of similar mean size of forage species, avoiding large inter-patches of bare ground. Although both management conditions showed seasonal variations in plant cover, the step-lengths decreased significantly in the grazed woodland during the wet season, while step-lengths in the restored area were unaffected by season. The fine-scale spatial arrangement of plants in restored woodlands elucidated notable changes in animal movement on grazed lands, suggesting that space use by small mammals may be an important tool to identify habitat structures that facilitate the movement of animals in restoration of degraded systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:55:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-85e80b3d268b4470a6fd712d47cd27b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:55:55Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-85e80b3d268b4470a6fd712d47cd27b32022-12-21T23:16:22ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942020-12-0124e01348Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlandsFlorencia Spirito0Mary Rowland1Michael Wisdom2Solana Tabeni3Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas (IADIZA), CCT CONICET-Mendoza. Av. A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina, C.C. 507, C.P. 5500; Corresponding author.U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR, 97850, USAU.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR, 97850, USAInstituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Áridas (IADIZA), CCT CONICET-Mendoza. Av. A. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina, C.C. 507, C.P. 5500The degradation of dry woodlands in South America by agricultural activities affects wildlife through a decrease in available habitat and fine-scale changes in habitat structure. The impact of land use can be perceived by small, mobile organisms as preventing or facilitating their movement through and among habitats, consequently altering ecosystem functions. By tracking with radiotelemetry we describe for the first time the pattern of movement of a small mammal (Graomys griseoflavus) that inhabits dry woodland ecosystems in South America and its relationship with environmental features that affect movement. We measured environmental variables linked to the ecological requirements of the species (e.g., plant cover and patches of forage species consumed) in restored and grazed woodlands and compared movements between seasons (dry and wet). We found that the fine-scale differences in the vegetation cover associated with livestock grazing changed the mobility and use of space of this small mammal. The step-lengths and used area for G. griseoflavus were greater under passive restoration compared to the area grazed by livestock. Small rodents moved between patches of similar mean size of forage species, avoiding large inter-patches of bare ground. Although both management conditions showed seasonal variations in plant cover, the step-lengths decreased significantly in the grazed woodland during the wet season, while step-lengths in the restored area were unaffected by season. The fine-scale spatial arrangement of plants in restored woodlands elucidated notable changes in animal movement on grazed lands, suggesting that space use by small mammals may be an important tool to identify habitat structures that facilitate the movement of animals in restoration of degraded systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420308891Desert mammalsGraomys griseoflavusGrazingLand degradationMovement |
| spellingShingle | Florencia Spirito Mary Rowland Michael Wisdom Solana Tabeni Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands Global Ecology and Conservation Desert mammals Graomys griseoflavus Grazing Land degradation Movement |
| title | Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands |
| title_full | Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands |
| title_fullStr | Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands |
| title_short | Tracking native small mammals to measure fine-scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands |
| title_sort | tracking native small mammals to measure fine scale space use in grazed and restored dry woodlands |
| topic | Desert mammals Graomys griseoflavus Grazing Land degradation Movement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420308891 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT florenciaspirito trackingnativesmallmammalstomeasurefinescalespaceuseingrazedandrestoreddrywoodlands AT maryrowland trackingnativesmallmammalstomeasurefinescalespaceuseingrazedandrestoreddrywoodlands AT michaelwisdom trackingnativesmallmammalstomeasurefinescalespaceuseingrazedandrestoreddrywoodlands AT solanatabeni trackingnativesmallmammalstomeasurefinescalespaceuseingrazedandrestoreddrywoodlands |