Quantitative Habitat Associations of Small Mammals in a Temperate Rainforest in Southern Chile: Empirical Patterns and the Importance of Ecological Scale

Abstract

Multivariate analyses of distributions of small mammals identified important habitat associations in a precordilleran temperate rainforest in southern Chile. Significant differences in vegetation were found between summer (January–March) and winter (July–August) periods, indicating that multiple-season studies may be necessary to fully assess habitat preferences of small mammals. Three species of sigmodontines ( Akodon olivaceus, Abrothrix longipilis, Abrothrix sanborni ), and a putative A. longipilis × A. sanborni hybrid, showed moderate habitat preferences with considerable interspecific overlap. Habitat associations of Oligoryzomys longicaudatus , a sporadic resident, were significantly different from those of the akodonts, perhaps reflecting transient status in the community; other species generally had insufficient captures for quantitative comparisons. These patterns of habitat association differ from those of previous studies and suggest the consequences of methodological, spatiotemporal, and demographic factors in the interpretation and detection of multivariate ecological relationships.