Authors : Eun Jae Lee, Shin-Jae Rhim and Woo-Shin Lee
Abstract: The seasonal movements and home ranges of Korean field mice Apodemus peninsulae in unburned and post-fire pine planted stands within a pine forest were studied via the radio-tracking of 56 mice for 12 months in South Korea. Seasonal movement distances were significantly longer in the post-fire pine planted stand than in the unburned stand in each season and did not differ between males and females over the 4 seasons. In both stands, the activity patterns and duration of movement also differed significantly over the 4 seasons. Home range sizes were largest in autumn and smallest in Winter. Seasonal home range sizes were significantly larger in the post-fire pine planted stand than in the unburned stand in each season. No differences in home range size between males and females were noted in either of the experimental stands. Post-fire silvicultural practices affect forest-floor small rodents in the early stages after the planting of pine seedlings. Studying space use patterns over longer time periods will provide a better sense of the long-term impacts of post-fire silvicultural practices on small rodents within pine forests.
Eun Jae Lee, Shin-Jae Rhim and Woo-Shin Lee, 2012. Seasonal Movements and Home Range Sizes of Korean Field Mouse Apodemus peninsulae in Unburned and Post-Fire Pine Planted Stands Within a Pine Forest. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 3834-3839.