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30 January 2020 What factors predict path tortuosity of Great Basin pocket mice in shrub-steppe habitat invaded by cheatgrass?
Natalie C. Melaschenko, Karen E. Hodges
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Abstract

Foraging animals choose habitats based on characteristics that often cannot be satisfied simultaneously, such as easy mobility, abundant or high-quality foods, and safety from predators. Invasive plants may alter habitat structure and provide novel foods; thus, measuring how animals forage in invaded landscapes offers insights into these new ecological relationships. We examined the movements of Great Basin pocket mice (Perognathus parvus) in sage-steppe habitats invaded by cheatgreass (Bromus tectorum) in southcentral British Columbia, Canada. The pathway tortuosity (fractal D) of pocket mice increased with vegetative cover and population density and decreased with open habitat, but these variables explained little of the variation in tortuosity. The fractal dimension of movement pathways of pocket mice was consistent over spatial scales ranging from 0.5 m to two-thirds of the home range size, unlike in other species where fractal dimensions are not consistent over multiple spatial scales. Collectively, our results indicate that foraging movements of pocket mice were not affected by the low densities of cheatgrass in this system.

© 2020 American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org
Natalie C. Melaschenko and Karen E. Hodges "What factors predict path tortuosity of Great Basin pocket mice in shrub-steppe habitat invaded by cheatgrass?," Journal of Mammalogy 101(1), 226-233, (30 January 2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyz205
Received: 19 November 2018; Accepted: 9 December 2019; Published: 30 January 2020
KEYWORDS
cheatgrass
foraging
habitat selection
movements
pocket mouse
tortuosity
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