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Ecological Correlates of Insular Rodent Diversity
Author(s) -
Dueser Raymond D.,
Brown William C.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1937154
Subject(s) - ecology , species richness , rodent , habitat , microtus , biology , species diversity , insular biogeography , sciurus , species evenness , vole , extinction (optical mineralogy) , population , demography , sociology , paleontology
Rodent populations were censused on nine Virginia barrier islands during the summers of 1975 and 1977. The five species observed include Microtus pennsylvanicus, Mus musculus, Oryzomys palustris, Rattus norvegicus, and Sciurus carolinensis. The number of rodent species ranged from zero on a small, low—lying, sandy island to five on a large, elevated, forested island. Rodent species richness(diversity) increased directly with island area, elevation, vegetation height, and habitat complexity (i.e., the number of distinct woody plant associations). Because of strict zonation of plant associations, increased habitat complexity represents increased availability of exploitable patches of habitat. As expected from studies of mainland rodent communities, this patchiness appears to promote increased species diversity. Each species exhibits and "exploitation specialty" involving little spatial overlap with other species diversity. Each species exhibits an "exploitation speciality" involving little spatial overlap with other species. Although no direct tests have been conducted, we speculate that the rodent communities of these islands are at equilibrium. Low rates of colonization and high rates of extinction interact to produce low species diversity and a steep species—area curve.