Diversity of Small Mammal Communities in Lithuania (1. A Review)

Balčiauskas, Linas; Juškaitis, Rimvydas

doi:10.1080/13921657.1997.10541423

Cited by 22 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For Lithuania it was shown that threshold of the trapping effort yielding sufficient diversity estimates in the homogenous habitat is 300-500 trap days; effort less than 300 trap days yields under-trapping and insufficient list of determined species, even if diversity estimation did not suffer (Balčiauskas & Juškaitis 1997). In most years of our investigation number of traps was above threshold, and there was no correlation between trapping effort and diversity estimate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

The influence of spring floods on small mammal communities in the Nemunas River Delta, Lithuania

2012

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The influence of the annual spring floods on small mammal communities was studied in the Nemunas River Delta, SW Lithuania. The aim of the investigation was to compare the diversity of small mammals inhabiting springflooded meadows, meadows not subjected to flooding and spring-flooded forest in years characterized by differing heights and durations of spring flood. In the years of the high flood, the number of species and diversity index were higher, while index of dominance was less than in the years of low flood. Significantly, the highest proportions of Apodemus agrarius were recorded in spring-flooded meadows in years of high flood (41.7%), while Microtus oeconomus occurred in the highest proportions in spring-flooded meadows in years of low flood (66.8%) and in meadows not subjected to flooding (47.1%). In non-flooded areas, M. oeconomus is not expelled by the floods and outcompetes other species. After high levels of flooding, during the process of re-population, the voles may be outcompeted by A. agrarius. In the absence of dominant species, greater opportunities existed for the establishment of more species (13 species in flooded meadows). Micromys minutus accounted for up to 19.5-30.1% in the years of high flood. We concluded that the annual spring floods in the Nemunas Delta had no long-term negative effects, the number of small mammal species and their abundance had been restored in just a few months. The worst consequences of the high flood were recorded in forest habitat. Spring floods, and especially the higher floods, are natural environmental agents, maintaining the high diversity of small mammals in meadows and reed-beds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

The influence of spring floods on small mammal communities in the Nemunas River Delta, Lithuania

2012

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“…In the earlier study in the meadows experiencing re-growth, three to five species of small mammals were trapped and diversity varied (H = 1.16-2.25), with the dominant species accounting for 30%-66.7% of all trapped individuals. Dominants were A. agrarius, S. minutus and, in heavy shrubbed meadow, M. glareolus (Balčiauskas and Juškaitis 1997). Relative abundance also varied, ranging from 12 to 44 individuals per 100 trap-nights.…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Small mammal species in Lithuania have no clearly expressed cyclic fluctuations of abundance (Balčiauskas and Angelstam 1993;Balčiauskas and Juškaitis 1997;Balčiauskas 2005). For both natural forest regrowth and planted forest, investigations were conducted in three types of habitat that can be regarded as covering early forest succession: 1) meadow in the initial stage of regrowth, with trees less than 20 cm in height or shrubs (hereafter referred to as 'meadow'), 2) former meadows now covered by trees of approximately 5-10 years old with a canopy still open (hereafter referred to as 'young forest' , and 3) former meadow now covered by developing birch-spruce forest, trees approximately 15-20 year old and with a closed canopy (hereafter referred to as 'advanced forest').…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Small mammal community response to early meadow–forest succession

2017

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Background: With farmland afforestation becoming common policy in many European Union countries, we studied how early forest succession (from meadow to young stand) influences small mammal species composition, diversity, abundance and biomass. Despite numerous investigations into forest succession, almost no attention has been given to the small mammal community change in the early-successional forest ecosystems, starting with the pre-forest habitat and ending with stand formation and the establishment of tree dominance. We compared small mammal communities in meadows at the initial stage of regrowth (with saplings less than 10 cm in height), in young forest (5-10 years old) and more advanced forest (15-20 years) in both cases of human-induced forest succession, where the trees had been planted, and natural forest succession, where natural regrowth of meadows had occurred.

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“…Do small mammals breed in winter and when does their breeding season begin in spring? Most of these questions are not answered in Lithuania (Prûsai-të 1988;Balèiauskas & Juðkaitis 1997;Maþeikytë 2004). In this paper, we present a preliminary survey of small mammal diversity in the non-vegetational period (end of autumn winter spring).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Species, age, sex and breeding status of trapped small mammals was recorded. Trapped small mammals were divided into three age categories: juveniles, subadults and adults, based on reproductive status (Myllymä-ki 1977;Gliwicz 1996;Prévot-Julliard et al 1999;Balèiauskas & Juðkaitis 1997;Crespin et al 2002). All overwintered and breeding individuals, i.e.…”

Section: Investigations Were Done Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Small Mammals in Winter Season in North East Lithuania

Balčiauskas

Gudaitė

2006

Acta Zoologica Lituanica

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The trapping of small mammals was done in two winter seasons (2004/2005 and 2005/2006) in the Zarasai district, north-east Lithuania. Nine small mammal species were registered. For Apodemus uralensis, it was the first finding of the species in north-east Lithuania. C. glareolus (49.4% of all trapped animals) were dominating in both seasons both by numbers and by frequency of occurrence. The shares of M. oeconomus, A. uralensis, A. agrarius and M. musculus were less than 1% each. One to six small mammal species were registered every month. Towards spring numbers of trapped C. glareolus decreased; in MarchApril dominant became M. arvalis. The dominance of C. glareolus was lessening towards spring, when it was changed by M. arvalis. The diversity of the small mammal community in the winter period was not high (averaged Shannons H = 1.27). Negative correlation (r = -0.64) was found between the number of trapped animals per session (100 traps) and snow depth. M. arvalis was registered breeding quite early: from the beginning of April in 2005 (4.3 ± 0.3 embryos per female) and, despite cold winter, from the beginning of March in 2006. The breeding of C. glareolus started in mid-April in 2005; however no breeding C. glareolus were trapped either in March or April in 2006.

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Diversity of Small Mammal Communities in Lithuania (1. A Review)

Cited by 22 publications

References 9 publications

The influence of spring floods on small mammal communities in the Nemunas River Delta, Lithuania

The influence of spring floods on small mammal communities in the Nemunas River Delta, Lithuania

Small mammal community response to early meadow–forest succession

Diversity of Small Mammals in Winter Season in North East Lithuania

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