Impact Of Fire Severity On Presence Of An Endemic Vole

Abstract

Wildfires are increasing in severity in the Madrean sky island complex and are impacting small mammal communities. Knowing exactly how fire is changing vegetation and affecting habitat can inform management decisions. Few studies have studied how wildfire is impacting small mammals on these sky islands and none have researched directly the Mt. Graham white-bellied vole (Microtus longicaudus leucophaeus). During the fall of 2018, I captured small mammals at 8 sites to contrast vole presence among herbaceous cover, standing woody cover, coarse woody debris cover, and fire severity on Mount Graham, Arizona, USA. I had a total of 206 captures with 18 of those being voles distributed across 4 different sites. A higher presence was recorded at trap locations with a lower fire severity and a higher amount of herbaceous cover. Standing woody cover and coarse woody debris cover did not impact the likelihood of a vole being present at a trapping location. Preserving meadows and other areas of high herbaceous cover while also using fire management techniques to reduce fire severity could improve the habitat used by the Mt. Graham white-bellied vole.