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Saanya A, Mulungu L, Sabuni C, Massawe A, Makundi R. Effects of prescribed burning on rodents in an East African woodland ecosystem. Afr J Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aenea Saanya
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD)
- Department of Wildlife Management Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania
- College of African Wildlife Management – Mweka (CAWM) Kilimanjaro Tanzania
| | - Loth Mulungu
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD)
- Institute of Pest Management – Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Christopher Sabuni
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD)
- Institute of Pest Management – Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Apia Massawe
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD)
- Institute of Pest Management – Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Rhodes Makundi
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD)
- Institute of Pest Management – Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania
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Ondoro RNN, Okeyo B, Jackson C. Examining the abundance and habitat use of golden‐rumped sengi (
Rhynchocyon chrysopygus
) in
Arabuko‐Sokoke
Forest in Kenya. Afr J Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Benards Okeyo
- Department of Environmental Sciences Pwani University Kilifi Kenya
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Bergstrom BJ, Scruggs SB, Vieira EM. Tropical savanna small mammals respond to loss of cover following disturbance: A global review of field studies. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1017361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Small-mammal faunas of tropical savannas consist of endemic assemblages of murid rodents, small marsupials, and insectivores on four continents. Small mammals in tropical savannas are understudied compared to other tropical habitats and other taxonomic groups (e.g., Afrotropical megafauna or Neotropical rainforest mammals). Their importance as prey, ecosystem engineers, disease reservoirs, and declining members of endemic biodiversity in tropical savannas compels us to understand the factors that regulate their abundance and diversity. We reviewed field studies published in the last 35 years that examined, mostly experimentally, the effects of varying three primary endogenous disturbances in tropical savanna ecosystems—fire, large mammalian herbivory (LMH), and drought—on abundance and diversity of non-volant small mammals. These disturbances are most likely to affect habitat structure (cover or concealment), food availability, or both, for ground-dwelling small mammalian herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores. Of 63 studies (included in 55 published papers) meeting these criteria from the Afrotropics, Neotropics, and northern Australia (none was found from southern Asia), 29 studies concluded that small mammals responded (mostly negatively) to a loss of cover (mostly from LMH and fire); four found evidence of increased predation on small mammals in lower-cover treatments (e.g., grazed or burned). Eighteen studies concluded a combination of food- and cover-limitation explained small-mammal responses to endogenous disturbances. Only two studies concluded small-mammal declines in response to habitat-altering disturbance were caused by food limitation and not related to cover reduction. Evidence to date indicates that abundance and richness of small savanna mammals, in general (with important exceptions), is enhanced by vegetative cover (especially tall grass, but sometimes shrub cover) as refugia for these prey species amid a “landscape of fear,” particularly for diurnal, non-cursorial, and non-fossorial species. These species have been called “decreasers” in response to cover reduction, whereas a minority of small-mammal species have been shown to be “increasers” or disturbance-tolerant. Complex relationships between endogenous disturbances and small-mammal food resources are important secondary factors, but only six studies manipulated or measured food resources simultaneous to habitat manipulations. While more such studies are needed, designing effective ones for cryptic consumer communities of omnivorous dietary opportunists is a significant challenge.
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Saanya A, Massawe A, Makundi R. Small mammal species diversity and distribution in the Selous ecosystem, Tanzania. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2022.2034040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aenea Saanya
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, (ACE IRPM&BTD), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Apia Massawe
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, (ACE IRPM&BTD), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Rhodes Makundi
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development, (ACE IRPM&BTD), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania
- Institute of Pest Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
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Nugent DT, Baker‐Gabb DJ, Green P, Ostendorf B, Dawlings F, Clarke RH, Morgan JW. Multi‐scale habitat selection by a cryptic, critically endangered grassland bird—The Plains‐wanderer (
Pedionomus torquatus
): Implications for habitat management and conservation. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T. Nugent
- Department of Ecology, Environment, and Evolution Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria 3083 Australia
| | | | - Peter Green
- Department of Ecology, Environment, and Evolution Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria 3083 Australia
| | | | - Finella Dawlings
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - Rohan H. Clarke
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - John W. Morgan
- Department of Ecology, Environment, and Evolution Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Melbourne Victoria 3083 Australia
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6
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Lees DM, Watchorn DJ, Driscoll DA, Doherty TS. Microhabitat selection by small mammals in response to fire. AUST J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/zo21022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Hale S, Mendoza L, Yeatman T, Cooke R, Doherty T, Nimmo D, White JG. Evidence that post‐fire recovery of small mammals occurs primarily via in situ survival. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Susannah Hale
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Lorissa Mendoza
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Tom Yeatman
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Raylene Cooke
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Tim Doherty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Dale Nimmo
- School of Environmental Science Institute for Land, Water and Society Charles Sturt University Albury NSW Australia
| | - John G. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Geelong Vic. Australia
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Docherty TDS, Hethcoat MG, MacTavish LM, MacTavish D, Dell S, Stephens PA, Willis SG. Burning savanna for avian species richness and functional diversity. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02091. [PMID: 32043665 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed fire is used throughout fire-prone landscapes to conserve biodiversity. Current best practice in managing savanna systems advocates methods based on the assumption that increased fire-mediated landscape heterogeneity (pyrodiversity) will promote biodiversity. However, considerable knowledge gaps remain in our understanding of how savanna wildlife responds to the composition and configuration of pyrodiverse landscapes. The effects of pyrodiversity on functional diversity have rarely been quantified and assessing this relationship at a landscape scale that is commensurate with fire management is important for understanding mechanisms underlying ecosystem resilience. Here, we assess the impact of spatiotemporal variation in a long-term fire regime on avian diversity in North West Province, South Africa. We examined the relationship between (1) species richness, (2) three indices of functional diversity (i.e., functional richness, functional evenness, and functional dispersion) and four measures of pyrodiversity, the spatial extents of fire age classes, and habitat type at the landscape scale. We then used null models to assess differences between observed and expected functional diversity. We found that the proportion of newly burned (<1-yr post-fire), old, unburned (≥10 yr post-fire), and woodland habitat on the landscape predicted species and functional richness. Species richness also increased with the degree of edge contrast between patches of varying fire age, while functional dispersion increased with the degree of patch shape complexity. Lower than expected levels of functional richness suggest that habitat filtering is occurring, resulting in functional redundancy across our study sites. We demonstrate that evaluating functional diversity and redundancy is an important component of conservation planning as they may contribute to previously reported fire resilience. Our findings suggest that it is the type and configuration, rather than the diversity, of fire patches on the landscape that promote avian diversity and conserve ecological functions. A management approach is needed that includes significant coverage of adjacent newly burned and older, unburned savanna habitat; the latter, in particular, is inadequately represented under current burning practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teegan D S Docherty
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew G Hethcoat
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hounsfield Rd, Sheffield, S3 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Lynne M MacTavish
- Mankwe Wildlife Reserve, P.O. Box 20784 Protea Park 0305, Mogwase, Northwest Province, South Africa
| | - Dougal MacTavish
- Mankwe Wildlife Reserve, P.O. Box 20784 Protea Park 0305, Mogwase, Northwest Province, South Africa
| | - Stephen Dell
- Pilanesberg National Park, North West Parks Board, Mogwase, South Africa
| | - Philip A Stephens
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen G Willis
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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Sharp Bowman TR, McMillan BR, St. Clair SB. A comparison of the effects of fire on rodent abundance and diversity in the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187740. [PMID: 29182632 PMCID: PMC5705133 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As invasive grasses and fire increase in frequency and extent in North American deserts, they have the potential to affect animal communities through bottom-up forces. We experimentally tested the effects of fire on rodent communities of the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts. Fire decreased the abundance, richness, and diversity of rodents in the Great Basin after fire. In the Mojave, abundance was unaffected and diversity and species richness were greater on burned than unburned plots 4 months after fire. The effects of fire on rodent communities tended to decrease over time. The differences in effects between the deserts may be due to differences in the foraging preferences of the dominant species at each site. As these species are primarily herbivorous, short-term changes to the rodent community could have long-term implications by affecting the recovery of the plant community after fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffanny R. Sharp Bowman
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Brock R. McMillan
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Samuel B. St. Clair
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Berry LE, Lindenmayer DB, Driscoll DA. Large unburnt areas, not small unburnt patches, are needed to conserve avian diversity in fire-prone landscapes. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laurence E. Berry
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; the NERP Environmental Decisions Hub; Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Frank Fenner Building, Linnaeus Way Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; the NERP Environmental Decisions Hub; Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Frank Fenner Building, Linnaeus Way Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Don A. Driscoll
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; the NERP Environmental Decisions Hub; Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Frank Fenner Building, Linnaeus Way Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
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Yarnell RW, Scott DM, Chimimba CT, Metcalfe DJ. Untangling the roles of fire, grazing and rainfall on small mammal communities in grassland ecosystems. Oecologia 2007; 154:387-402. [PMID: 17846799 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-007-0841-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2006] [Accepted: 07/31/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In grassland systems across the globe, ecologists have been attempting to understand the complex role of fire, grazing and rainfall in creating habitat heterogeneity and the consequences of anthropogenic control of these factors on ecosystem integrity and functioning. Using a South African grassland ecosystem as a model, we investigated the impact of fire and grazing pressure on small mammal communities during three differing periods of a rainfall cycle. Over 2 years, 15,203 trap nights revealed 1598 captures of 11 species (nine rodents, one macroscelid and one insectivore). Results highlighted the importance of the interplay between factors and showed that the role of fire, grazing and rainfall in determining small mammal abundance was species-dependant. While no two species were affected by the same environmental variables, grass cover or height was important to 56% of species. Considered independently, high rainfall had a positive influence on small mammal abundance and diversity, although the lag period in population response was species-specific. High grazing negatively affected overall abundance, but specifically in Mastomys coucha; fire alone had little immediate impact on small mammal diversity. Six months after the fire, vegetation cover had recovered to similar levels as unburned areas, although small mammal diversity and richness were higher in burned areas than unburned areas. Grazing levels influenced the rate of vegetation recovery. In conclusion, low-level grazing and burning can help to maintain small mammal biodiversity, if conducted under appropriate rainfall levels. A too high grazing pressure, combined with fire, and/or fire conducted under drought conditions can have a negative impact on small mammal biodiversity. To maintain small mammal diversity in grassland ecosystems, the combined effects of the previous year's rainfall and existing population level as well as the inhibition of vegetation recovery via grazing pressure need to be taken into consideration before fire management is applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- R W Yarnell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Brighton, Moulsecoomb, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK.
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