Artigo
Short-term effects of fire on small rodents in the Brazilian Cerrado and their relation with feeding habits
Registro en:
International Journal Of Wildland Fire. Collingwood: Csiro Publishing, v. 22, n. 8, p. 1063-1071, 2013.
1049-8001
10.1071/WF12153
WOS:000329813500005
Autor
Vieira, Emerson M.
Briani, Denis C. [UNESP]
Resumen
We investigated the short-term (up to 60 days) fire effects on small rodents and their relation to feeding habitats in the fire-prone Cerrado of central Brazil, the most species-rich savanna in the world. We conducted prescribed-fire experiments with pre- and post-fire simultaneous sampling in burned and unburned areas to investigate the hypothesis that the effects of fire on the abundance of small rodents is related to changes in food availability and consequently the feeding habits of the animals. The findings revealed a higher availability of invertebrates in just-burned areas compared with plant resources. Stomach analyses indicated that invertebrate consumption increased after fire for the four most common rodents, but Calomys tener and especially Calomys expulsus, consumed more invertebrates in the burned areas than Necromys lasiurus or Cerradomys scotti. These Calomys rodents were also the post-fire dominant species. Thus, even within the group of rodents that are generalist feeders, distinctive short-term responses to fire were associated with changes in resource availability and with resultant differences in the abundance of plant matter and invertebrates in the rodent diets. Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Univ Vale do Rio dos Sinos UNISINOS, Lab Ecol Mamiferos, BR-93022000 Sao Leopoldo, RS, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Ctr Estudos Ambientais, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Ctr Estudos Ambientais, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil FAPESP: 99/03722-8 CNPq: 300286/99-6