Movement response of small mammals to burn severity reveals importance of microhabitat features.

ABSTRACT: Disturbance events are increasing at a global scale, with cascading impacts to ecosystems and residents therein that include fragmentation and altered vegetation structure and composition. Such changes may disproportionately impact small mammal movements, risk perception, and community dynamics as smaller species perceive such changes at finer spatial scales. We examined movement response to burn severity, vegetation structure, and composition in Mexican woodrats (Neotoma mexicana), a common but understudied small mammal species. The study was conducted on Mt. Graham in southeastern Arizona, United States, following a fire that burned over 19,400 ha. We measured path tortuosity of woodrats translocated over patches of different burn severity. Tortuosity can indicate microhabitat sel

SUBMITTER: Slovikosky SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11647521 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature