| Small mammals were sampled in five closed, humid, Araucaria araucana forests that differed in the degree of anthropogenic disturbance in southwestern Neuquén province. Nine species were captured in 3416 trap nights. Abrothrix longipilis and Oligoryzomys longicaudatus made up 88% of all captures. Small mammal relative abundance was 52 times higher where grazing was absent compared to a site with intense grazing pressure. Seed predation, primarily by livestock and feral exotic mammals, varied from 59.7% to 15.1% of marked seeds per day. Small mammal community productivity and composition were correlated with understory structure (Mantel test, r = 0.529, p = 0.04), and with rates of seed predation (r = -0.91, n = 4, p = 0.08). Forests with less complex... |
