3/14/2023 0 Comments Great basin pocket mouse statesAn improved understanding of the changes to the rodent community soon after fire could inform our understanding of the post-fire re-establishment of the plant community and ultimately the changes occurring after fire across desert ecosystems. Because rodent responses to fire vary by species, fire can change the diversity and dynamics of the rodent community thus impacting the plant community and possibly the way it recovers after fire. Rodents affect plant diversity and structure via folivory, granivory, and soil disturbance. Rodents are keystone species in western North American deserts, therefore changes to their richness, abundance, or diversity can have important biological feedbacks on plant community characteristics. Furthermore, few studies have compared rodent community responses to fire in different desert ecosystems. Information collected before fire and after fire is vital to understanding how and when changes in richness, abundance, and diversity occur. Little is known about the short-term and time dependent responses of rodent communities to fire. In addition, the time frame of many previous studies has been at least a year after fire occurred and typically only include one or a few time points. Despite the fact that rodent responses to fire have been the focus of many studies, the overall results are inconclusive. There is mixed evidence that species richness, diversity, or overall abundance of rodent communities in deserts is sometimes greater on unburned than burned areas, although sometimes no difference is detected in one or more of these measures. While direct mortality of rodents due to fire is rare, indirect impacts due to habitat changes can alter the richness, abundance, and diversity of rodent communities. These species-specific responses to altered fire regimes can alter the composition and behavior of rodent communities. mice) often focus foraging efforts under and near shrubs in desert habitat and decrease in abundance after fire. kangaroo rats) forage in open areas between shrubs in unburned habitat and maintain or increase their abundance when shrub cover is reduced by fire. The responses of different rodent species to fire vary in desert ecosystems. Altered fire regimes and subsequent changes to the plant community can impact animal communities. This exotic vegetation recovers quickly after fire and matures and dies early in the season, which can extend the fire season and has increased fire frequency from century to decadal time scales. These invasive plant species fill plant interspaces with fine fuels that allow wildfire to carry across large areas. rubens), in North American deserts has dramatically increased the size and frequency of wildfire in these ecosystems. The invasion of exotic grasses, particularly cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum) and red brome ( B.
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