Demographic responses of shrews to removal of coarse woody debri sin a managed pine forest
Timothy S. McCaya,*, Mark J. Komoroskib
aDepartment of Biology, Colgate University, Hamlton, NY 13346,
USA
bSavannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802,
USA
Received 1 July 2003; received in revised form 24 August 2003; accepted
10 September 2003
Abstract
We trapped shrews at six 9.3 ha plots from which logs 10 cm diameter (coarse
woody debris; CWO) had been manually removed and six control plots in
managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forests of the southeastern coastal
plain, USA. Trapping was conducted seasonally between autumn 1997 and
summer 2001. Capture rates of Cryptotis parva were lower at plots from
which CWO was removed than at control plots (P 0011) and declined at all
plots over the study period (P 0001). Capture rates of Blarina carolinensis
(P 0129) and Sorex longirostris (P 0432) did not differ between removal
and control plots, but declined over the study period (P 0001). Age distributions
of B. carolinensis differed between removal and control plots (P 0048)
with a smaller proportion of individuals in young age categories at removal
plots. Sensitivity of Cryptotis to the removal of CWO may have been due
to its sociality or low population density at the study area. A reduction
in the abundance of young B. carolinensis after removal of CWO may rel3ect
reduced reproduction and immigration of older individuals from outside
the plot Effect of removal of CWO on populations of these shrews was relatively
weak compared to strong seasonal and multi-year variation in abundance.
However, weak treatment effects may have been partly due to low ambient
levels of CWO at control plots.
# 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Blarina; Coarse woody debris; Cryptotis; Plantation;
Small mammals; Sorex
SREL Reprint #2867
McCay, T. S. and M. J. Komoroski. 2004. Demographic responses of shrews to removal of coarse woody debris in a managed pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 189:387-395.
