Wildfire effects on small mammals in Western North Carolina
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Erin Marie Condon (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Beverly Collins
Abstract: Fire can impact an ecosystem by changing environmental factors and small mammal abundances. Historically, wildfires have been uncommon in high elevation northern hardwood forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In addition, little is known about wildfire effects on small mammals. In 2016, after the second hottest summer and fourth driest year on record, wildfires burned parts of Western North Carolina. Three questions were addressed in this study: Does the number of small mammals significantly differ between burned and unburned areas after two years of recovery? Are small mammals more abundant further from or closer to the fire boundary? If the number of small mammal captures differs with proximity to the fire boundary or between burned and unburned areas, do these differences correlate with environmental factors such as temperature, duff depth, and leaf litter depth? To answer these questions, Sherman live traps were placed in an area within the Nantahala National Forest near Wine Springs Bald (WS). Sixty traps were placed along transects located 5 and 15 meters on either side of the fire boundary at WS in the summer of 2018. Traps were opened for 3-4 days and checked every morning and night. Temperature, duff depth, and leaf litter depth were measured at four traps on each transect. The most individuals captured were Peromyscus sp. (194) and the second most captured species was Blarina brevicauda (11). Overall, there was no statistically significant difference in small mammal abundance between the burned and unburned transects. However, more Napaeozapus insignis were caught in the burned area and more Blarina brevicauda in the unburned area. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in small mammal abundance between transects located five meters away and those fifteen meters away from the fire boundary. Sorex sp. had more individuals captured in 5 m transects and Napaeozapus insignis had more individuals captured in 15 m transects. Duff depth, leaf litter depth, and temperature were also similar between burned and unburned transects and between five meter and fifteen meter transects.
Wildfire effects on small mammals in Western North Carolina
PDF (Portable Document Format)
320 KB
Created on 6/1/2019
Views: 303
Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2019
- Subjects
- Mammal populations -- North Carolina -- Nantahala National Forest
- Mammals -- Habitat -- Environmental aspects -- North Carolina -- Nantahala National Forest
- Mammals -- Effect of fires on -- North Carolina -- Nantahala National Forest
- Mammals -- Behavior -- North Carolina -- Nantahala National Forest
- Wildfires -- Environmental aspects -- North Carolina -- Nantahala National Forest