Bowers Michael A, Gregario Kristina, Brame Courtney J, Matter Stephen F, Dooley James L
Department of Environmental Sciences and Blandy Experimental Farm, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 175, 22620, Boyce, VA, USA.
Oecologia. 1996 Jan;105(1):107-115. doi: 10.1007/BF00328798.
Using capture/recapture methods, we examined the spatial usage patterns of Microtus pennsylvanicus within and between experimentally created habitat patches of three sizes (1.0, 0.25 and 0.0625 ha) and between a 20-ha fragmented and a 20-ha continuous habitat landscape. We tested the prediction that home ranges near patch edges would be qualitatively different from those in patch interiors, and that the edge:interior habitat ratio could be used to make predictions concerning the dispersion and spatial use of individuals occupying different sized patches and between landscapes with different habitat structure. We found adult females on patch edges to have larger and more exclusive home ranges, larger body sizes, longer residence times, and to reproduce at a higher frequency than those in patch interiors. These "edge effects" also appeared to be largely responsible for the greater proportion of larger, reproductive females we found in small than larger patches and in the fragmented than in the continuous habitat (control) landscape. The selection of higher quality edge habitats by dominant females and the relegation of sub-dominants to patch interiors provides an explanation for the observed differences in the distribution and performance of females over patches and between landscapes.
我们运用捕获-再捕获方法，研究了宾夕法尼亚田鼠在三种不同大小（1.0公顷、0.25公顷和0.0625公顷）的实验性创建栖息地斑块内部及之间，以及在一个20公顷的破碎化栖息地景观和一个20公顷的连续栖息地景观之间的空间利用模式。我们检验了以下预测：斑块边缘附近的家域在性质上会与斑块内部的家域不同，并且边缘与内部栖息地的比例可用于预测占据不同大小斑块以及不同栖息地结构景观中个体的扩散和空间利用情况。我们发现，斑块边缘的成年雌性田鼠比斑块内部的成年雌性田鼠具有更大且更具排他性的家域、更大的体型、更长的停留时间，并且繁殖频率更高。这些“边缘效应”似乎也在很大程度上解释了我们在小斑块中比大斑块中、在破碎化栖息地景观中比连续栖息地（对照）景观中发现的较大繁殖雌性田鼠比例更高的现象。优势雌性对更高质量边缘栖息地的选择以及次优势雌性被排挤到斑块内部，为观察到的雌性在斑块间和景观间分布及表现的差异提供了解释。
