L. Blaustein et al., RODENT SPECIES-DIVERSITY AND MICROHABITAT USE ALONG OPPOSING SLOPES OF LOWER NAHAL OREN, MOUNT-CARMEL, ISRAEL, Israel Journal of Zoology, 42(4), 1996, pp. 327-333
We assessed species diversity, microhabitat distribution, and mobility
of rodent species along the north-facing slope (NF) and south-facing
slope (SF) of an environmentally heterogeneous canyon: Lower Nahal Ore
n, Mount Carmel, Israel. During February, May, and September 1992, liv
e traps were used along seven transect Lines at lower, middle, and upp
er altitudes (30, 60, and 90 m from the valley floor, respectively) on
each slope and the valley floor. Species richness was greater on NF t
han on SF, with very low interslope community overlap. Trapped animals
on SF were almost exclusively Acomys cahirinus. On NF, the vast major
ity of rodents were Apodemus mystacinus or Apodemus flavicollis, with
few A. cahirinus and even fewer Mus macedonicus and Rattus rattus. Wit
hin slopes, activity density depended on elevation and species. On SF
during the winter, A. cahirinus densities decreased with decreasing el
evation. This pattern disappeared by fall. On NF, Acomys activity dens
ities decreased from top to bottom. A. mystacinus was widely distribut
ed and most abundant in the middle elevation. A. flavicollis decreased
with increasing elevation. In a station-by-station analysis, there wa
s no statistically significant association between the two Apodemus sp
ecies. Rodents were rarely caught on the valley floor. Recapture data
indicate that individuals tended to remain within the same or adjacent
elevational transects within the same slope. Not a single marked anim
al was recovered on the opposite slope. The interslope rodent communit
y dissimilarity is attributed to the different microclimates and plant
communities on the opposing slopes.