Persistence of Allegheny Woodrats Neotoma magister Across the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Highlands Landscape, USA
Ford WM, Castleberry SB, Mengak MT, Rodrigue JL, Feller DJ, Russell KR. 2006. Persistence of Allegheny Woodrats Neotoma magister Across the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Highlands Landscape, USA. Ecography. 29:745-754
ABSTRACT: We examined a suite of macro-habitat and landscape variables around active inactive Allegheny woodrat Neotoma magister colony sites in the Appalachian Mountains of the mid-Atlantic Highlands of Maryland, Virginia, and West using an information-theoretic modeling approach. Logistic regression analyses suggested that Allegheny woodrat presence was related positively to distance nearest occupied colony site and was influenced by location within physiographic subprovince. Colony sites were more likely to be active to the west (Allegheny Plateau) than the east (Blue Ridge/Piedmont), and colony sites were less likely to be active of the Potomac River where land use and human disturbance patterns in the were more intensive. Support also was generated for a presence-absence model included forest cover within a 1-km radius of colony sites, although its importance equivocal in this heavily forested region. Allegheny woodrats rely on emergent habitats for denning, and mast-bearing forest communities for foraging, and appear display a metapopulation structure that is sensitive to a combination of natural anthropogenically-induced isolation pressures that are recognizable but difficult manage or mitigate.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Ford, W; Castleberry, Steven; Mengak, Michael; Rodrigue, Jane; Feller, Daniel; Russell, Kevin
- Units
- BLRI , GWMP , HAFE , NERI , SHEN
- Keywords
- Allegheny woodrats, APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, BLRI, Blue Ridge Parkway, mammals, Neotoma magister, SER, SHEN, Shenandoah National Park, Southeast Region