| Virginia
Journal of Science.
2000. Vol 51 (3) : 171-186 |
| Small
Mammal Communities In Riparian And Upland Habitats on The Upper Coastal
Plain of Virginia A. Scott Bellows, Department of Biology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, and Joseph C. Mitchell, Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia 23173. ABSTRACT
We compared small mammal communities between riparian (stream
corridor) and nearby upland habitats in a hardwood forest ecosystem on
Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia. We used a combination of
small-scale drift fence/pitfall trap arrays and snap traps to capture
small mammals during April – October 1998, with an additional winter
sample in January 1999. We captured seven small mammal species at 14
sites (7 pairs). Numbers of species were not significantly different
between habitat types. Bray-Curtis polar ordinations showed that plant
and small mammal community compositions were similar in upland sites
and that these communities were most varied in riparian sites. Riparian
sites supported wetland and moist soil obligate plants that made this
habitat type distinct from upland sites. Small mammal communities were
dominated by Peromyscus leucopus
and Blarina brevicauda.
Numbers of individual small mammals captured were higher in riparian
sites than in upland sites. Mean number of captures per trap night
averaged 2.6 in riparian sites and 1.4 in upland sites but the
difference was not statistically significant. Numbers of rodent
captures were significantly higher in both habitat types than captures
for insectivores. Hardwood habitats in riparian and upland systems
support diverse small mammal communities in the upper Coastal Plain of
Virginia. Because small mammals use both habitat types extensively,
composition of contiguous upland habitats should be considered in
studies of these animals in riparian ecosystems. |