Status and habitat relationships of northern flying squirrels on Mount Desert Island, Maine
O'Connell AF, Servello FA, Higgins J, Halteman W. 2001. Status and habitat relationships of northern flying squirrels on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Northeastern Naturalist. 8(2):127-136
FIELD WORK: 1992 'Northern (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern (G. volans) flying squirrels occur in Maine, but there is uncertainty about range overlap in southcentral Maine where the flying squirrel reaches its geographic range limit. We surveyed flying squirrels on Mount Desert Island (MDI), located along the central Maine coast, to update the current status and distribution of these species. We captured only northern flying squirrels, and populations (>= 2 individuals) were located in two conifer stands and one mixed conifer-hardwood stand. All three stands were located in relatively older forests, outside a large area burned in a 1947 fire. Tree diamteres were similar between trap stations with and without captures, understory density was low overall, and there was a trend of higher seedling density at capture locations. Low understory density may enhance predator avoidance. Although the southern flying squirrel was reported from MDI numerous times durring the 20th century, no voucher specimins exist, and species identification and localities have been poorly documented. Future surveys on MDI should consider collection of voucher specimins to validate subsequent survey efforts and effectively document changes in local biodiversity.' Table one provides a list of sites and number of individuals caught with capture rates. Table two provides mean (std er) information on tree diameter and small tree, seedling and sapling density for stands with and without flying squirrels. A map is provided illustrating general site location, but no GPS derived locations or site descriptions are avaialable. Eight forest stands were sampled and only four contained flying squirrels. /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND/Bubble Pond/Beech Moutnain/Sargeant Drive/Eagle Lake/Compass Harbor/Aunt Betty's Pond/Sand Beach/Bubble Rock/
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- O'Connell, Allan; Servello, Frederick; Higgins, Jennifer; Halteman, William
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Aunt Betty's Pond, Beech Moutnain, Bubble Pond, Bubble Rock, Compass Harbor, Eagle Lake, Habitats, Mount Desert Island, Sand Beach, Sargeant Drive, Size