The effects on small mammal abundance after a wildfire in the Warner Mountains

Abstract

THE EFFECTS ON SMALL MAMMAL ABUNDANCE AFTER A WILDFIRE IN THE WARNER MOUNTAINS by Jesse Rose West From June to August, 2001, a large fire, known as the Blue Fire, burned 34,425 acres in the Warner Mountains (USDA 2003), Modoc National Forest, Modoc County, California. The Blue Fire caused a major disturbance to the structure of the native flora and fauna (USDA 2003). Patterns of both mammalian and vegetation succession after a fire have been of particular interest to biologists for many years. The aim of this study was to address whether small mammal abundance is different in heavily burned areas versus lightly burned areas within the Warner Mountain Range three years after a fire. During the summer of 2004 rodents were trapped in three different sites, each made up of a heavily burned quadrat and a lightly burned quadrat, which spanned a section of the Blue Fire. Results showed that the abundance of deer mice is not significantly different in the heavily burned areas versus the lightly burned areas where severity of burn is defined by difference in tree canopy only. Deer mice appear to be good invaders of newly modified habitat regardless of the amount of change. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. John O. Matson, for his hard work, dedication, and patience. Throughout my thesis, he provided encouragement, sound advice, good teaching, good company, and many good ideas. I would have been lost without him. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Sulekha Anand and Dr. Rodney Myatt, for their expert guidance and patience. I am especially grateful to my husband, Daniel Sommerville, and dear friend, Jenna Patton, for their extensive help throughout this entire project. I would not have succeeded without their support. In addition, I would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance in the field: Christopher Buecher, Jennifer Giordano, Stephanie MacDonald, Dr. John O. Matson, Dr. Rodney Myatt, Melissa Scheele, and Daniel Sommerville.