Effects of a flood on relative abundance and diversity of small mammals in a regenerating bottomland hardwood forest

摘要

Because effects of flooding on small mammal populations are poorly understood, we examined small mammal response, measured by relative abundance and community diversity, to a flood in a regenerating bottomland hardwood forest. We trapped small mammals immediately prior to and 5 months following retreat of floodwaters in Yazoo County, Mississippi during 1994 and 1995. Cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) and marsh rice rats (Oryzomys palustris) were the dominant species captured throughout the study, but abundance declined markedly after flooding and did not reach pre-flood abundance by the end of the study. Extended flood duration and depth were believed to have caused the disappearance of cotton mice (Peromyscus gossypinus) and a decrease in community diversity.