A Random Sampling of Salt Marsh Harvest Mice in a Muted Tidal Marsh

Padgett-Flohr, Gretchen E.; Isakson, Lori

doi:10.2307/3802721

Cited by 6 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Fewer RERA sites had bare ground as the dominant ground‐cover category, although about half of the RERA captures were associated with bare ground as the secondary ground‐cover category. RERA individuals are thought to disperse randomly during prebreeding, but are associated with pickleweed sites with midrange salinity levels during breeding and postbreeding (Padgett‐Flohr & Isakson, ). In Suisun Bay, RERA were associated with sites dominated with mixed vegetation or pickleweed (Sustaita, Quickert, Patterson, Barthman‐Thompson, & Estrella, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) in San Francisco Bay

Marcot

Woo

Thorne

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding habitat associations is vital for conservation of at-risk marsh-endemic wildlife species, particularly those under threat from sea level rise. We modeled environmental and habitat associations of the marsh-endemic, Federally endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris, RERA) and co-occurrence with eight associated small mammal species from annual trap data, 1998-2014, in six estuarine marshes in North San Francisco Bay, California. Covariates included microhabitat metrics of elevation and vegetation species and cover; and landscape metrics of latitude-longitude, distance to anthropogenic features, and habitat patch size. The dominant cover was pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica) with 86% mean cover and 37 cm mean height, and bare ground with about 10% mean cover. We tested 38 variants of Bayesian network (BN) models to determine covariates that best account for presence of RERA and of all nine small mammal species. Best models had lowest complexity and highest classification accuracy. Among RERA presence models, three best BN models used covariates of latitude-longitude, distance to paved roads, and habitat patch size, with 0% error of false presence, 20% error of false nonpresence, and 20% overall error. The all-species presence models suggested that within the pickleweed marsh environment, RERA are mostly habitat generalists. Accounting for presence of other species did not improve prediction of RERA. Habitat attributes compared between RERA and the next most frequently captured species, California vole (Microtus californicus), suggested substantial habitat overlap, with RERA habitat being somewhat higher in marsh elevation, greater in percent cover of the dominant plant species, closer to urban areas, further from agricultural areas, and, perhaps most significant, larger in continuous size of marsh patch. Findings will inform conservation management of the marsh environment for RERA by identifying best microhabitat elements, landscape attributes, and adverse interspecific interactions. K E Y W O R D SBayesian network models, California vole, habitat use, Microtus californicus, occupancy, Reithrodontomys raviventris, salt marsh harvest mouse, San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, small mammal assemblage | 663 MARCOT eT Al.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) in San Francisco Bay

Marcot

Woo

Thorne

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Bias & Morrison (2006) found positive associations between California vole presence and habitat parameters such as vegetative cover, but negative associations with California vole and water presence and depth; they recommend restoration of tidal action to reduce California vole competition. Padgett-Flohr and Isakson (2003) found no statistical associations between California voles and SMHM, although they did catch California voles in the same areas as SMHM. Padgett-Flohr and Isakson (2003) caught few house mice and attributed the low numbers of house mice to the high quality of their study area as house mice are usually associated with disturbed areas and proximity to human development.…”

Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Padgett-Flohr and Isakson (2003) found no statistical associations between California voles and SMHM, although they did catch California voles in the same areas as SMHM. Padgett-Flohr and Isakson (2003) caught few house mice and attributed the low numbers of house mice to the high quality of their study area as house mice are usually associated with disturbed areas and proximity to human development. Bias & Morrison (2006) recommend reducing habitat patchiness to limit house mice.…”

Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Kingma (2003) found mice in areas of low and moderate levels of pickleweed salinity (65-85 ppt), but absent in areas with high pickleweed salinity levels. Padgett-Flohr and Isakson (2003) found SMHM associated with mid-range pickleweed salinity levels (500-699 mmol/kg CI"), were rare in hyper-saline areas (699 mmol/kg CI"), and were not found at all in areas of low salinity (200-499 mmol/kg). Since pickleweed can grow in freshwater marshes, monitoring marshes solely for pickleweed presence without including salinity may be misleading to managers.…”

Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Previous research completed on SMHM varies in location and time, and most studies are brief, ranging from several days to a few months (Shellhammer, 1989), with the exception of one multi-year study in the North Bay (Bias, 1994). The use of piecemeal studies using different experimental designs and locations makes comparisons among studies difficult (Padgett-Flohr & Isakson, 2003). In addition, methodological and statistical problems pervade in previous research, where trapping sites are typically selected in a non-random and unverified manner based on the investigator's subjective perception of marginal or optimal habitat (Geissel, Shellhammer, & Harvey, 1988;Rice, 1974;Zetterquist, 1977).…”

Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Salt marsh harvest mouse abundance and site use in a managed marsh

Basson¹

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Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

Hagani,

Takekawa,

Skalos

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Light detection and ranging (lidar) has emerged as a valuable tool for examining the fine‐scale characteristics of vegetation. However, lidar is rarely used to examine coastal wetland vegetation or the habitat selection of small mammals. Extensive anthropogenic modification has threatened the endemic species in the estuarine wetlands of the California coast, such as the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris; SMHM). A better understanding of SMHM habitat selection could help managers better protect this species. We assessed the ability of airborne topographic lidar imagery in measuring the vegetation structure of SMHM habitats in a coastal wetland with a narrow range of vegetation heights. We also aimed to better understand the role of vegetation structure in habitat selection at different spatial scales. Habitat selection was modeled from data compiled from 15 small mammal trapping grids collected in the highly urbanized San Francisco Estuary in California, USA. Analyses were conducted at three spatial scales: microhabitat (25 m2), mesohabitat (2025 m2), and macrohabitat (~10,000 m2). A suite of structural covariates was derived from raw lidar data to examine vegetation complexity. We found that adding structural covariates to conventional habitat selection variables significantly improved our models. At the microhabitat scale in managed wetlands, SMHM preferred areas with denser and shorter vegetation and selected for proximity to levees and taller vegetation in tidal wetlands. At the mesohabitat scale, SMHM were associated with a lower percentage of bare ground and with pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica) presence. All covariates were insignificant at the macrohabitat scale. Our results suggest that SMHM preferentially selected microhabitats with access to tidal refugia and mesohabitats with consistent food sources. Our findings showed that lidar can contribute to improving our understanding of habitat selection of wildlife in coastal wetlands and help to guide future conservation of an endangered species.

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A Random Sampling of Salt Marsh Harvest Mice in a Muted Tidal Marsh

Cited by 6 publications

References 7 publications

Habitat of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) in San Francisco Bay

Habitat of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) in San Francisco Bay

Salt marsh harvest mouse abundance and site use in a managed marsh

Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

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