Short-Term Fire Effects on Small Mammal Populations and Vegetation of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert
Table 5
Relative abundance (minimum number alive per 25 ha) of small mammals, small mammal species richness, and Shannon’s (H) and Simpson’s (D) diversity indices prior to burning in May 1995 (PRE), one month post burn, July 1995 (POST-95), and one year post burn, July 1996 (POST-96), on 10 pairs of burned (B) and control (C) study sites on Fort Bliss Military Reservation, Otero County, New Mexico.
PRE
POST95
POST96
B
C
B
C
B
C
Burn
Time
Chaetodipus 1
1.5
1.1
1.6
2.6
1.0
1.9
.080
.480
eremicus
SE
0.8
0.7
0.9
1.6
0.5
0.7
Dipodomys 2
3.5
7.1
6.8 A
6.0 A
13.2 A
6.9 B
3
merriami
SE
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.2
1.6
2.0
Dipodomys
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.1
4
ordii
SE
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
Dipodomys 1
0.0
0.7
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
4
spectabilis
SE
0.0
0.5
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
Neotoma 1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.0
4
albigula
SE
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.0
Neotoma 1
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.4
0.1
0.0
4
micropus
SE
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.2
0.1
0.0
Onychomys 1
0.0
0.0
0.6
0.5
0.8
1.1
4
arenicola
SE
0.0
0.0
0.3
0.2
0.3
0.4
Onychomys 1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
4
leucogaster
SE
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
Perognathus 2
2.3
0.9
6.2
2.4
4.5
1.4
.043
.261
flavus
SE
0.7
0.3
1.8
1.1
1.3
0.5
Perognathus 5
0.1
0.1
1.3
1.0
0.7
1.0
.892
.220
flavescens
SE
0.1
0.1
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.4
Peromyscus 1
0.0
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
4
leucopus
SE
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
Peromyscus 1
0.3
0.5
0.2
0.0
0.2
0.0
4
maniculatus
SE
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
Reithrodontomys
2.9
2.1
0.1
0.8
0.2
0.0
4
megalotis
SE
0.3
0.7
0.1
0.3
0.1
0.0
Sigmodon 1
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.5
0.1
0.3
4
hispidus
SE
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.4
0.1
0.2
Spermophilus 1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.8
0.2
0.1
4
spilosoma
SE
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.4
0.1
0.1
All individuals
11.0
13.5
15.7
16.5
20.1
14.7
.479
.520
SE
2.2
2.1
3.2
2.5
4.3
2.1
Cricetidae5
1.1
3.5
3.4 A
3.0 A
1.9 A
1.4 A
3
SE
0.4
1.0
0.4
1.0
0.6
0.5
Heteromyidae
7.6
10.0
14.4
13.5
18.2
13.0
.268
.423
SE
2.0
1.7
3.0
2.6
4.2
1.8
Species richness
3.8
4.1
4.1
5.0
4.6
4.2
.731
.718
SE
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.4
0.7
0.6
H
1.14
1.08
1.07
1.25
1.04
1.06
.716
.232
SE
0.10
0.12
0.08
0.09
0.10
0.11
D
0.29
0.37
0.35
0.31
0.41
0.39
.413
.127
SE
0.03
0.05
0.03
0.03
0.06
0.05
1Data rank transformed. Raw means presented. 2May 1995 results used as a covariate for postburn comparisons due to the potential for pre-treatment effects (). Postburn results are covariate-adjusted means. 3Treatment time interaction (). Means followed by the same letter within years are not different (). 4Limited captures (20 individuals) of this species precluded statistical comparisons. 5Data square-root transformed. Raw means presented.
