Reproduction, foraging and the negative density–area relationship of a generalist rodent

Abstract

While many species show positive relationships between population density and habitat patch area, some species consistently show higher densities in smaller patches. Few studies have examined mechanisms that may cause species to have negative density-area relationships. We tested the hypothesis that greater reproduction in edge versus interior habitats and small versus large fragments contributes to higher densities of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in small versus large forest fragments. We also examined vegetation structure and foraging tray utilization to evaluate if greater reproduction was a result of higher food availability. There were greater number of litters and proportion of females producing litters in the edge versus interior of forest fragments, which may have contributed to greater population growth rates and higher densities in edge versus interior and small versus large fragments. Data on vegetation structure and giving-up densities of seeds in artificial patches suggest that food availability may be higher in edge versus interior habitats and small versus large fragments. These results, in an area with few or no long-tailed weasels, provide a distinct contrast to the findings of Morris and Davidson (Ecology 81:2061, 2000) who observed lower reproduction in forest edge habitat as a result of high weasel predation, suggesting that specialist predators may be important in affecting the quality of edge habitat. While we cannot exclude the potential contributions of immigration, emigration, and mortality, our data suggest that greater reproduction in edge versus interior habitat is an important factor contributing to higher densities of P. leucopus in small fragments.