Microhabitat of small mammals at ground and understorey levels in a deciduous, southern Atlantic Forest

Geruza L Melo,Barbara Miotto,Brisa Peres,Nilton C Caceres

doi:10.1590/s0001-37652013000200017

Geruza L Melo, Barbara Miotto + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0001-37652013000200017

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Abstract

Each animal species selects specific microhabitats for protection, foraging, or micro-climate. To understand the distribution patterns of small mammals on the ground and in the understorey, we investigated the use of microhabitats by small mammals in a deciduous forest of southern Brazil. Ten trap stations with seven capture points were used to sample the following microhabitats: liana, fallen log, ground litter, terrestrial ferns, simple-trunk tree, forked tree, and Piper sp. shrubs. Seven field phases were conducted, each for eight consecutive days, from September 2006 through January 2008. Four species of rodents (Akodon montensis, Sooretamys angouya, Oligoryzomys nigripes and Mus musculus) and two species of marsupials (Didelphis albiventris and Gracilinanus microtarsus) were captured. Captured species presented significant differences on their microhabitat use (ANOVA, p = 0.003), particularly between ground and understorey sites. Akodon montensis selected positively terrestrial ferns and trunks, S. angouya selected lianas, D. albiventris selected fallen trunks and Piper sp., and G. microtarsus choose tree trunks and lianas. We demonstrated that the local small-mammal assemblage does select microhabitats, with different types of associations between species and habitats. Besides, there is a strong evidence of habitat selection in order to diminish predation.

Highlights

Niche can be defined as an n-dimensional hypervolume where each dimension corresponds to distinct environmental conditions that define the environment limits where the species persists (Hutchinson 1957), being this space limited according to interactions with other organisms
We obtained 145 records of 83 individuals of small mammals belonging to four rodent species: Akodon montensis (Thomas, 1913), Sooretamys angouya (Thomas, 1913), Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers, 1818) and Mus musculus (Linnaeus, 1758), and two marsupial species: D. albiventris (Lund, 1840) and Gracilinanus microtarsus (Wagner, 1842)
Akodon montensis was correlated with all microhabitats on the ground, but mainly with small ferns

Summary

Introduction

Niche can be defined as an n-dimensional hypervolume where each dimension corresponds to distinct environmental conditions that define the environment limits where the species persists (Hutchinson 1957), being this space limited according to interactions with other organisms. In this sense, the adaptation to different types of available resources in an environment can promote the differentiation and coexistence of a wide range of species, resulting into an increased diversity (Wells et al 2006). Many factors, including the availability of shelter, food, nesting sites, the abundance of competitors, the predation risk, parasitism, and disease contribute to the process of habitat selection (Rosenzweig 1981, Morris 1987, Falkenberg and Clarke 1998)

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