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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2014

  • Title: Hemlock woolly adelgid impacts rodent ranging behavior in a New England forest
  • Author: Joel C van de Sande (City College of San Francisco)
  • Abstract:

    Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae) is killing eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) in New England. Hemlock decline is altering forest biodiversity and may be impacting rodent ranging behavior. Rodents play important roles in forest ecosystem functions by dispersing seed and mycorrhizal fungi. We hypothesized that rodents would have shorter ranges in HWA-infested forests compared to their ranges in intact forests. We examined the ranging behavior of mice (Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus) and voles (Myodes gapperi) at Harvard Forest’s Hemlock Removal Experiment in Petersham, Massachusetts. We used four replicated experimental hemlock canopy treatments that are 90 x 90m: 1) unmanipulated hemlock control, 2) unmanipulated hardwood control, 3) girdled treatment, which simulates HWA invasion, and 4) logged treatment, which simulates preemptive forest management. Rodents were captured in Sherman live traps within a 7x7 array (.49ha) from June-July 2014 (>3000 trapping nights). Captured animals (n=119) were identified, marked with Passive Integrated Transponders, and released. The range of each animal was mapped and the Mean Distance Squared was calculated. We found that P. leucopus (~25m), P. maniculatus (~20m), and M. gapperi (~30 m) travel farther in the hemlock control than all other canopy treatments. M. gaperi showed the greatest decrease in ranging behavior within the logged treatment. These data suggest that preemptive logging to prevent HWA spread restricts rodent ranges. Understanding how rodents respond to hemlock decline will allow us to predict changes in their behavior and attendant patterns of forest succession.

  • Research Category: Conservation and Management; Group Projects; Invasive Plants, Pests & Pathogens; Large Experiments and Permanent Plot Studies; Physiological Ecology, Population Dynamics, and Species Interactions