Microhabitat use by Eligmodontia typus (Rodentia: Muridae) in the Monte Desert (Argentina)

CORBALÁN, V.; DEBANDI, G.

MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY

Urban & Fischer (Elsevier Group)

Lugar: München (Alemania); Año: 2006 vol. 71 p. 124 - 127

1616-5047

Eligmodontia typus typically inhabits open vegetation areas with high proportion of bare soil like Larrea flatlands, sandy lowland scrub areas, and sandy flats with halophytic plants. In the central Monte Desert, this species dominates sand dune habitats as well as open shrublands and disturbed grasslands of the Andean piedmont. Most of the studies focused on habitat use or habitat selection by E. typus have used traditional trapping techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate microhabitat use by E. typus using luminous powder in sand dunes at the Ñacuñán Biosphere Reserve, where this species is dominant. We dusted individuals of E. typus with luminous powder inside a plastic bag and we released them at the site of capture. Tracks left by the animals were marked with flags until the powder was no longer visible. Microhabitat characteristics were noted recording bare soil, presence of litter, trees, shrubs, subshrubs or herbs intercepting a stick 1.5 m long. Also we measured distances travelled beneath different heights of strata. We found that the category most used was the shrub cover, which was significantly different from the other categories, and the least used was the complex cover. Distances travelled beneath shrubs were longer than distances beneath subshrubs and distances travelled beneath both types of cover were longer with respect to open microhabitats. Our result are not according with previous studies, since other authors found that this species open habitats and microhabitats. ypically inhabits open vegetation areas with high proportion of bare soil like Larrea flatlands, sandy lowland scrub areas, and sandy flats with halophytic plants. In the central Monte Desert, this species dominates sand dune habitats as well as open shrublands and disturbed grasslands of the Andean piedmont. Most of the studies focused on habitat use or habitat selection by E. typus have used traditional trapping techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate microhabitat use by E. typus using luminous powder in sand dunes at the Ñacuñán Biosphere Reserve, where this species is dominant. We dusted individuals of E. typus with luminous powder inside a plastic bag and we released them at the site of capture. Tracks left by the animals were marked with flags until the powder was no longer visible. Microhabitat characteristics were noted recording bare soil, presence of litter, trees, shrubs, subshrubs or herbs intercepting a stick 1.5 m long. Also we measured distances travelled beneath different heights of strata. We found that the category most used was the shrub cover, which was significantly different from the other categories, and the least used was the complex cover. Distances travelled beneath shrubs were longer than distances beneath subshrubs and distances travelled beneath both types of cover were longer with respect to open microhabitats. Our result are not according with previous studies, since other authors found that this species open habitats and microhabitats.