Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms
Small mammals are not only pests but also an important part of agricultural ecosystems. The common vole is a reference species for risk assessment of plant protection products in the European Union, but no data about the suitability of the species in the Baltic countries are present so far. Using th...
Published in: | Animals |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://gtc.oai.elaba.lt/documents/53544222.pdf http://gtc.lvb.lt/GTC:ELABAPDB53544222&prefLang=en_US |
id |
ftlithuaniansrc:oai:elaba:53544222 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftlithuaniansrc:oai:elaba:53544222 2023-05-15T15:56:28+02:00 Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms Balčiauskas, Linas Balčiauskienė, Laima Stirkė, Vitalijus 2019 application/pdf http://gtc.oai.elaba.lt/documents/53544222.pdf http://gtc.lvb.lt/GTC:ELABAPDB53544222&prefLang=en_US eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3390/ani9060334 http://gtc.oai.elaba.lt/documents/53544222.pdf http://gtc.lvb.lt/GTC:ELABAPDB53544222&prefLang=en_US info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Animals, Basel : MDPI, 2019, vol. 9, iss. 6, p. 1-17 ISSN 2076-2615 small mammals commercial fruit farms diversity dominance relative abundance agricultural practices info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2019 ftlithuaniansrc https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9060334 2021-12-02T00:43:22Z Small mammals are not only pests but also an important part of agricultural ecosystems. The common vole is a reference species for risk assessment of plant protection products in the European Union, but no data about the suitability of the species in the Baltic countries are present so far. Using the snap-trap line method, we evaluated species composition, abundance, and diversity of small mammal communities in commercial orchards and berry plantations in Lithuania, testing the predictions that (i) compared with other habitats, small mammal diversity in fruit farms is low, and (ii) the common vole is the dominant species. The diversity of small mammals was compared with control habitats and the results of investigations in other habitats. Out of ten small mammal species registered, the most dominant were common vole and striped field mouse. Small mammal diversity and abundance increased in autumn and decreased in line with the intensity of agricultural practices but were not dependent on crop type. In the most intensively cultivated fruit farms, small mammals were not found. The diversity of small mammal communities in fruit farms was significantly higher than in crop fields and exceeded the diversities found in most types of forests except those in rapid succession. Article in Journal/Newspaper Common vole LSRC VL (Lithuanian Social Research Centre Virtual Library) Animals 9 6 334 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
LSRC VL (Lithuanian Social Research Centre Virtual Library) |
op_collection_id |
ftlithuaniansrc |
language |
English |
topic |
small mammals commercial fruit farms diversity dominance relative abundance agricultural practices |
spellingShingle |
small mammals commercial fruit farms diversity dominance relative abundance agricultural practices Balčiauskas, Linas Balčiauskienė, Laima Stirkė, Vitalijus Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
topic_facet |
small mammals commercial fruit farms diversity dominance relative abundance agricultural practices |
description |
Small mammals are not only pests but also an important part of agricultural ecosystems. The common vole is a reference species for risk assessment of plant protection products in the European Union, but no data about the suitability of the species in the Baltic countries are present so far. Using the snap-trap line method, we evaluated species composition, abundance, and diversity of small mammal communities in commercial orchards and berry plantations in Lithuania, testing the predictions that (i) compared with other habitats, small mammal diversity in fruit farms is low, and (ii) the common vole is the dominant species. The diversity of small mammals was compared with control habitats and the results of investigations in other habitats. Out of ten small mammal species registered, the most dominant were common vole and striped field mouse. Small mammal diversity and abundance increased in autumn and decreased in line with the intensity of agricultural practices but were not dependent on crop type. In the most intensively cultivated fruit farms, small mammals were not found. The diversity of small mammal communities in fruit farms was significantly higher than in crop fields and exceeded the diversities found in most types of forests except those in rapid succession. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Balčiauskas, Linas Balčiauskienė, Laima Stirkė, Vitalijus |
author_facet |
Balčiauskas, Linas Balčiauskienė, Laima Stirkė, Vitalijus |
author_sort |
Balčiauskas, Linas |
title |
Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
title_short |
Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
title_full |
Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
title_fullStr |
Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
title_sort |
mow the grass at the mouse's peril: diversity of small mammals in commercial fruit farms |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://gtc.oai.elaba.lt/documents/53544222.pdf http://gtc.lvb.lt/GTC:ELABAPDB53544222&prefLang=en_US |
genre |
Common vole |
genre_facet |
Common vole |
op_source |
Animals, Basel : MDPI, 2019, vol. 9, iss. 6, p. 1-17 ISSN 2076-2615 |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3390/ani9060334 http://gtc.oai.elaba.lt/documents/53544222.pdf http://gtc.lvb.lt/GTC:ELABAPDB53544222&prefLang=en_US |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9060334 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
334 |
_version_ |
1766391886520516608 |