The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland
The depauperate fauna of Newfoundland provides a limited prey base for marten. Only two small mammal prey species, Microtus pennsylvanicus and Sorex cinereus, were found in abundance in the old-growth forests of the study area. Of these two, Microtus displayed population fluctuations typical of most...
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ftutahsudc:oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:wild_facpub-2366 2023-05-15T17:10:24+02:00 The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland Bissonette, John A. Fredrickson, R. J. Tucker, B. J. 1988-01-01T08:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/1367 unknown Hosted by Utah State University Libraries https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/1367 Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu. PDM Wildland Resources Faculty Publications forest harvesting marten mammals text 1988 ftutahsudc 2022-09-01T17:17:40Z The depauperate fauna of Newfoundland provides a limited prey base for marten. Only two small mammal prey species, Microtus pennsylvanicus and Sorex cinereus, were found in abundance in the old-growth forests of the study area. Of these two, Microtus displayed population fluctuations typical of most microtines. Analysis of marten scats indicated that Microtus is a very important prey item to the marten with other food items being of lesser importance particularly when Microtus are abundant. Trapping in various habitats indicated that Sorex densities were three to five times higher in logged areas compared to uncut areas. Unfortunately, the effects of logging on Microtus could not be determined directly from this study. Microtus numbers declined drastically in the spring of 1987, apparently independently of logging operations. Microtus numbers dropped from a density of 25.0 per hectare in the spring of 1986 to virtually zero in the spring of 1987. This reduction may be linked to an outbreak of viral encephalitus in the marten population in the fall of 1986. Marten (Martes americana) prefer mature coniferous and mixed forests and utilize regenerating cutovers minimally. The reasons for this are unclear, although prey abundance and availability may be involved. In this study, Sorex were more abundant in regenerating cutovers and the literature suggests that Microtus are also more abundant in these areas. This would seem to suggest that prey abundance above certain threshold densities is not critical to marten habitat selection. However, prey availability may play a more important role. Although prey species may be more abundant in logged areas, prey availability may be reduced. Text Martes americana Newfoundland Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU |
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forest harvesting marten mammals |
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forest harvesting marten mammals Bissonette, John A. Fredrickson, R. J. Tucker, B. J. The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland |
topic_facet |
forest harvesting marten mammals |
description |
The depauperate fauna of Newfoundland provides a limited prey base for marten. Only two small mammal prey species, Microtus pennsylvanicus and Sorex cinereus, were found in abundance in the old-growth forests of the study area. Of these two, Microtus displayed population fluctuations typical of most microtines. Analysis of marten scats indicated that Microtus is a very important prey item to the marten with other food items being of lesser importance particularly when Microtus are abundant. Trapping in various habitats indicated that Sorex densities were three to five times higher in logged areas compared to uncut areas. Unfortunately, the effects of logging on Microtus could not be determined directly from this study. Microtus numbers declined drastically in the spring of 1987, apparently independently of logging operations. Microtus numbers dropped from a density of 25.0 per hectare in the spring of 1986 to virtually zero in the spring of 1987. This reduction may be linked to an outbreak of viral encephalitus in the marten population in the fall of 1986. Marten (Martes americana) prefer mature coniferous and mixed forests and utilize regenerating cutovers minimally. The reasons for this are unclear, although prey abundance and availability may be involved. In this study, Sorex were more abundant in regenerating cutovers and the literature suggests that Microtus are also more abundant in these areas. This would seem to suggest that prey abundance above certain threshold densities is not critical to marten habitat selection. However, prey availability may play a more important role. Although prey species may be more abundant in logged areas, prey availability may be reduced. |
format |
Text |
author |
Bissonette, John A. Fredrickson, R. J. Tucker, B. J. |
author_facet |
Bissonette, John A. Fredrickson, R. J. Tucker, B. J. |
author_sort |
Bissonette, John A. |
title |
The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland |
title_short |
The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland |
title_full |
The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland |
title_fullStr |
The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Effects of Forest Harvesting on Marten and Small Mammals in Western Newfoundland |
title_sort |
effects of forest harvesting on marten and small mammals in western newfoundland |
publisher |
Hosted by Utah State University Libraries |
publishDate |
1988 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/1367 |
genre |
Martes americana Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Martes americana Newfoundland |
op_source |
Wildland Resources Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/wild_facpub/1367 |
op_rights |
Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu. |
op_rightsnorm |
PDM |
_version_ |
1766066998812344320 |