Density and habitat selection of mice on cheatgrass-invaded sites in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Globally, invasive species in grasslands and shrublands have substantially altered trophic interactions and ecosystem processes. In North America, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) has invaded much of the western sage-steppe, leading to substantial shifts in plant communities and fire regimes. The effects of this cheatgrass invasion on small mammals are inconsistent among species and regions, and the mechanisms behind these patterns may be trophic or non-trophic. Cheatgrass alters cover and the amount of bare ground, thus affecting movements and predation risk, but cheatgreass also provides food for some rodents. We examined the extent to which low-density cheatgrass invasion (<20% cover) affected population densities and habitat selection of mice in southern British Columbia, Canada. In this region, Great Basin pocket mice (Perognathus parvus) were far more common than western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) and deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Density of Great Basin pocket mice increased with bare ground and annual grasses, but decreased with shrub cover; when pocket mice foraged, they selected habitats with cheatgrass and bare, open ground. Cheatgrass did not predict movements of deermice or harvest mice. These results indicate that low cheatgrass densities may not be negative for these three species of mice, at least in the northern distribution of sage-steppe.