2023 Volume 69 Issue 1 Pages 1-6
Burrowing of cave-dwelling small mammals in grasslands disturbs soil and vegetation, and is also affected by soil and vegetation in grasslands. In this study, we examined the relationships between soil - vegetational characteristics and burrowing of small mammals in a mountainous grassland in the Tohoku region. We established a 200 m line in the pasture and measured the presence or absence of burrow openings, slope angle, dominant plant species, mean sward height, plant coverage, litter thickness, soil moisture content and soil hardness at 100 locations along the line by setting a quadrat (50 cm×50 cm). Using these measurements, logistic regression analysis was conducted with the presence or absence of burrow openings as the objective variable. Independent variables selected by the analysis were litter thickness, plant coverage, mean plant community height, and dominant plant species, where only the litter thickness was significant (P < 0.05). These variables have a function to conceal burrow openings, suggesting that small mammals used to burrow in pasture soils which are suitable for avoiding predators by the conditions.
