Expansive fire in Mojave Desert shrubland reduces abundance and species diversity of small mammals |
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| Institution: | 1. Student Researcher, University of California Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA;2. Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA;3. Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Boulder CO 80309-0450, USA;1. School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia;2. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia;3. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, QLD, Australia;4. Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia;1. School of Bioscience, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia;2. Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;3. Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia;4. Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0909, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Changes in plant community structure and composition of the Mojave Desert in response to greater fire intensity and extent are likely to have strong bottom-up effects on the biological community. The objective of this study was to determine how expansive fire in Mojave Desert impacts small mammal communities across seasons. We sampled small mammals in paired burned (4–5 years post-fire) and unburned areas of Beaver Dam Wash in southwestern Utah. Fire reduced total abundance of small mammals, and species richness and species diversity of the small mammal community. Merriam’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami) responded positively to fire (15% greater in burned areas). Long-tailed pocket mouse (Chaetodipus formosus) and canyon mouse (Peromyscus crinitus) were 91% and 98% less abundant in burned versus unburned areas. The positive response of Merriam’s kangaroo rat to fire is most likely correlated with their preference for open foraging microhabitat while other species captured prefer greater and more diverse cover. Because the small mammal community has been dramatically affected by fire, it is likely that top-down control of vegetation structure will be dominated by Merriam’s kangaroo rat in burned areas, which may promote more open habitat by limiting the growth of annual and perennial grasses. |
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