Small-mammal responses to peat mining of southeastern Canadian bogs

Bogs, or ombrotrophic peatlands, are well represented in parts of southeast ern Canada but are subjected to increasing pressure from the peat industry. We assessed the impact of peat mining on small mammals inhabiting unexploi ted bog fragments on the periphery of mined bogs. We conducted two separate studies in bogs mined to different levels (0-83%) in southeastern Quebec a nd New Brunswick. The first study used a low sampling effort over 1 month i n 26 bogs, while the second used a high sampling effort of 6 months spread across 2 years in 12 bogs. Of the 15 small-mammal species encountered, only 2 were bog specialists. Abundance and species richness of small mammals in bog fragments increased significantly with percentage of area mined and, i n some cases, increased with bog area. Both studies suggest that disturbanc es resulting from peat mining facilitate the invasion of more generalized s mall-mammal species. Furthermore, small mammals were more abundant near for est or mined edges than at bog centers, and some species responded strongly to vegetation cover. The response of small mammals to peat mining contrast s with the one documented for birds, amphibians, and plants.