Variation in phenology of hibernation and reproduction in the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (<i>Zapus hudsonius luteus</i>)

Frey, Jennifer K.

doi:10.7717/peerj.1138

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(155 reference statements)

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“…However, we found only 1 study on small‐mammal communities in wet meadows in Idaho (Austin and Pyle ). Other studies focused on the role of small mammals as predators (Cain et al , Cocimano et al ), prey (Kalinowski et al ), or habitat relationships of individual species (Chambers and Doucett , Frey ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing and wildfire effects on small mammals inhabiting montane meadows

2019

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Livestock grazing and fire can intensively modify montane meadows. Understanding how these factors affect habitat, species richness, and diversity of small mammals can inform management decisions. Few studies have investigated the independent and synergistic effects of grazing and wildfire on vegetation and small‐mammal communities, and none have focused on montane meadows in the southwestern United States. In 2012 and 2013, we captured small mammals at 105 sites to contrast occupancy, species richness, and diversity among livestock grazing levels (present, absent), wildfire severity (unburned, low, or moderate), and meadow classifications (small or large, wet or dry) in Arizona, USA. During 13,741 trap nights, we captured 1,885 rodents of 8 species. Two species represented 88% of captures: deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and Arizona montane vole (Microtus montanus arizonensis). Deer mice, Navajo Mogollon voles (Microtus mogollonensis navaho), and thirteen‐lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus monticola; a subspecies endemic to the White Mountains, AZ) had higher occupancy in large, ungrazed meadows compared to small, grazed meadows. Species richness was greater in unburned than burned sites and small meadows than large. However, higher diversity occurred in ungrazed and dry compared to grazed and wet meadows. Three species demonstrated weak relationships between wildfire and occupancy, suggesting short‐term (<2 yrs) effects of low to moderate burn severity for these species or their habitat. Livestock grazing had a greater effect than wildfire on the small‐mammal community by altering vegetation or other habitat elements and thus decreasing population sizes. Reducing livestock grazing would benefit small‐mammal species and increase diversity and abundance of the small‐mammal community in montane meadows. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing and wildfire effects on small mammals inhabiting montane meadows

2019

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“…I captured animals in accordance with a scientific collecting permit issued by the state of Arizona (SP627666, SP747593) and all capture and handling techniques were approved by the New Mexico State University Institutional Animal Care and Use committee. Because the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse hibernates, surveys occurred during 18 July to 13 September 2008 and 25 June to 6 September 2009, which insured that animals were active above ground (Frey 2015).…”

Section: Surveys For the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mousementioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, it has a low reproductive rate. Only older females may be capable of breeding and only a single litter may be produced each year in montane populations (Frey 2015). Organisms with low intrinsic rate of population growth are at greater risk of extinction because they recover more slowly from reductions in population size and they also remain threatened longer because of demographic and genetic stochasticity (Beissinger 2000).…”

Section: Livestock Grazingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape Scale and Microhabitat of the Endangered New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse in the White Mountains, Arizona

Frey

2017

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse Zapus hudsonius luteus was listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2014, with critical habitat designated in 2016. Despite these recent conservation actions, there is a paucity of published information regarding its habitat associations. The taxon is a riparian obligate that occurs along both low-elevation rivers and high-elevation headwater streams in several disjunct areas of the American Southwest. Habitat information from one region might not apply to others. The distribution and habitat preferences of the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse in the White Mountains in eastern Arizona are poorly known. Objectives of this study were to 1) identify and resurvey historical locations in the White Mountains, 2) survey for new populations in areas with potentially suitable habitat in the White Mountains, and 3) use quantitative data to evaluate habitat associations at the landscape and microhabitat scales and to compare habitat at sites where I captured or did not capture the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. I found 123 historical records of the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse from 21 locations in the White Mountains, indicating a formerly broad distribution. I conducted field surveys and collected habitat data at 35 sites (14 historical, 21 new) and caught 37 (39 total captures) New Mexico meadow jumping mice at 12 sites, including 6 of 12 historical locations surveyed. The overall capture rate was 0.36%, with an average capture rate at sites where it was present of 1.28% (range ¼ 0.25-2.5%). All historical sites where I caught the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse were in the drainage of the Black River. The six new sites included the first records for Nutrioso Creek and Corduroy Creek and confirmed persistence of the taxon in the East Fork Little Colorado River, San Francisco River, and Blue River watersheds. Habitat used by the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse in the White Mountains was similar to that reported for other montane populations, characterized by tall, dense herbaceous vegetation composed primarily of forbs and sedges on saturated soil in close proximity to flowing water. However, there was significantly more cover provided by alders Alnus spp. at capture sites at both the stream reach and microhabitat scales. All sites where I captured the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse had no authorized livestock grazing, and the taxon was more likely to occur at sites where there were no signs of unauthorized livestock grazing. Further, there was a significant positive relationship between alder cover and time since an area was excluded from livestock grazing. The widespread exclusion of livestock from riparian areas in the White Mountains may have contributed to the higher rate of population persistence of the New Mexico meadow jumping mice in the White Mountains compared with the Jemez and Sacramento mountains, New Mexico. Although the overall persistence rate in the White Mountains (47%) was higher than other populations, the population is at risk of further lo...

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“…Its riparian habitat occurs in montane, forested, and grassland regions in eastern Arizona, throughout central New Mexico, and into southern Colorado (Brown, 1994; Hafner et al, 1998). Individuals hibernate for seven to nine months per year and are only active in the summer, from mid‐Spring through mid‐Fall (Frey, 2015). They depend on dense riparian grasses and forbs for concealment, movement, for building day nests, and predation of seeds (Wright & Frey, 2014; Wright & Frey, 2015) and are known for their ability to climb and travel on vegetation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammalian eDNA on herbaceous vegetation? Validating a qPCR assay for detection of an endangered rodent

et al. 2022

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Vegetation is an underutilized medium for environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling.eDNA methods leveraging water as a substrate exclude application to many terrestrial species. The use of eDNA to detect small mammals can complement current survey approaches (live capturing, track plating, and camera trapping) while reducing risks to the animals. The endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) is specialized to herbaceous riparian zones, making it an ideal candidate for developing a terrestrial eDNA detection method. We developed a species-specific assay for quantitative real-time PCR, then tested the long-term persistence of jumping mouse eDNA on plant material using four herbaceous day nests collected three to six months after occupancy. We conducted a field trial using sterile cotton swabs at six locations along two occupied streams to evaluate our assay's capability to detect present-day eDNA. Each of 60 swabs was used to swab a 0.50 m 2 area along streamside transects that included vegetation such as forbs, grasses, and sedges. We also opportunistically swabbed plants (n = 9) following visual observation of jumping mice.We determined the limit of detection for both assays are fewer than eight copies per reaction. We detected eDNA in three of four nests. From field trial samples, we successfully detected the species from randomly swabbed vegetation (N = 3), and four of nine swabs from vegetation recently used by individuals. Further work is required to develop a robust survey method using this eDNA detection approach. Our study demonstrated that mammalian eDNA can persist on nest vegetation long after the animal was present, highlighting the promise of using eDNA from plants to detect rare or endangered terrestrial species.

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Variation in phenology of hibernation and reproduction in the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus)

Cited by 11 publications

References 55 publications

Grazing and wildfire effects on small mammals inhabiting montane meadows

Grazing and wildfire effects on small mammals inhabiting montane meadows

Landscape Scale and Microhabitat of the Endangered New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse in the White Mountains, Arizona

Mammalian eDNA on herbaceous vegetation? Validating a qPCR assay for detection of an endangered rodent

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