Impact of forest patch characteristics on small mammal communities: a multivariate approach Original Research Article

We used multivariate analysis to investigate the principal factors affecting forest-floor small mammal occurrence in 80 previously cut and uncut forest patches in temperate woodlands across southern Illinois, USA. Peromyscus leucopus comprised 82.3 % of 836 individuals caught during 24,000 trapnights, followed by Blarina carolinensis, Ochrotomys nuttalli, Tamias striatus and Microtus pinetorum. Small mammal abundances differed between years, possibly due to high winter mortality. Principal component analysis identified three significant environmental gradients, forest structure, forest composition and temperature conditions. Vegetation, rather than spatial characteristics, dominated these gradients. P. leucopus and O. nuttalli abundances were inversely related to forest age and canopy height. B. carolinensis related to temperature conditions. Combined small mammal captures related to forest structure and forest composition. Because heterogeneous forested landscapes differ greatly in spatial and temporal characteristics, extrapolating general small mammal conservation strategies may prove difficult. Integrating habitat restoration with conservation may be more efficient.