Source: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS submitted to NRP
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF TERRESTRIAL MAMMAL COMMUNITIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1010311
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2016
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2021
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology
Non Technical Summary
Understanding how mammals respond to natural and human-caused changes in habitat is critical to managing for biological diversity. California has more mammal species than any other state, largely due to the tremendous habitat diversity that characterizes this region. My research provides increased resolution concerning how species use different habitats, and in many cases helps resolve what these species do in these habitats (e.g., how effective are bats in consuming agricultural pests?).
Animal Health Component
20%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
20%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
13508991070100%
Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife;

Subject Of Investigation
0899 - Wildlife and natural fisheries, general/other;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
I will continue my ongoing investigations on spatial and temporal characteristics of small terrestrial mammal (rodent) assemblages, evaluating how these respond to ecological stress (e.g., ecological gradients, including elevational, ecotonal; and anthropogenic factors such as grazing). Additionally, I have and will continue to pursue work assessing the influence of habitat fragmentation and ecosystem management (in association with both State and Federal agencies) on native and introduced mammal species and mammal assemblages. Finally, I propose to initiate research on the ecology and spatial distribution of bats in California with an emphasis on understanding local assemblage composition, response to variation in habitat type, and potential to benefit agricultural activities (e.g., by consumption of crop pests).Some of the key objectives of my research include:1. Assess ecological structure for communities of native small mammals, at sites located across significant ecological gradients (e.g., desert - shrubland - forest).2. Determine environmental correlates of species distributions and how these vary across ecological gradients.3. Follow small mammal communities over a sufficient time period to assess indirect interactions that might be missed in a short-term project.4. To evaluate long-term responses of small mammal assemblages to gradual (e.g., vegetative) and rapid (e.g., habitat disturbance) changes to their environment as well as to cumulative effects of climate change (most notably, changes in rainfall, but also temperature regimes and resulting impacts on plants).5. Characterize and attempt to quantify habitat elements that influence survival of native species.
Project Methods
Methods vary depending on target species or habitat. Most of my efforts involve intensive field sampling using live traps and mark-recapture methodology, with repeated samples to document population and community composition over both spatial and temporal scales. Some efforts (e.g., fisher, Salt marsh harvest mice, riparian brush rabbits) has involved (and will continue to do so) radiotelemetry efforts. Research on bats will combine mist netting and an emphasis on acoustic monitoring since the latter is well known to be superior to netting when documenting bat diversity.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:My target audience has not changed through the tenure of this AES project; it continues to be the general public interested in the ecology, biology, and conservation of California mammals, as well as state and federal land and wildlife managers. I have worked closely with colleagues in the US Forest Service, US Geological Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Fish & Game, California State Parks, California Department of Water Resources, the National Wildlife Research Center, and others. I have interfaced with State and Federal biologists on issues concerning small mammal ecology, conservation, and management. Changes/Problems:As noted under Accomplishments, the global COVID-19 pandemic led to a cessation of field efforts for some of my research. This has since been lifted, and we anticipate continued progress. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?My graduate students continue to pursue research of direct relevance to the AES and to my Hatch program. Two recent graduates continue to pursue related efforts; Ms. S.Trombley works for California DWR in her field, while Ms. J. Lim has returned to California (from Arizona) and is pursuing a DVM degree. As noted above, both have helped to move their graduate research to tangible publications in the peer-reviewed literature, and making this available to regional land and wildlife managers. Past students include local ecological consultants, professors, and regional land use/wildlife managers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Oral presentations and peer-reviewed publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Over the course of this AES Hatch project I have published over 20 papers in peer-reviewed scientific literature, as well as one book. I have two more papers in press, one submitted, and five in preparation. My students and I have given over 30 oral or poster presentations at regional, national, and international meetings. I have graduated four MS students and two PhD students. I have secured nearly $7 million in collaborative support for AES-related research in California, and I continue to lead a long-term research program in Chile that has direct relevance to California issues (including a new award from the National Science Foundation). I continue to emphasize two environments in my California research - deserts and salt marshes. In the former I have continued to maintain biennial surveys of small mammals across an elevational and habitat gradient at a UC-managed reserve in southern California. I have assisted numerous other researchers in understanding taxonomic diversity at this site, and in particular in distinguishing between related species of sub-cryptic pocket mice (genus Chaetodipus). One MS student conducted her thesis work at this site, building profitably on my two-decade record of data here. My work in salt marshes has emphasized the San Francisco Estuary (SFE), where the state- and federally endangered salt marsh harvest mouse is found; this species is endemic to the SFE, and found nowhere else. My lab has pursued critical syntheses of data and knowledge on this species to highlight gaps in knowledge, and we have pursued field and lab research to fill these information gaps. I have completed one MS and one PhD on this theme, and have one more PhD in progress. The global COVID-19 pandemic impacted my research in two ways. First, simply arranging travel and lodging (at the UC fiedl station) was impacted by initial concerns over disease transmission. Secondly, however, global conservation and wildlife organizations (from the IUCN to CDWF) called for a cessation to all field research on bats, out of fear that humans might inadvertently infect bat species in other parts of the world, creating new reservoirs for this deadly disease. This impacted my students who work on bats, but fortunately this ban has recently been lifted, and field efforts are planned to re-initiate soon. In 2020 I was able to renew my biennial small mammal monitoring at a UC Natural Reserve site in the California desert. Additionally, my ongoing research in Suisun Marsh has continued, with PhD student Cody Aylward continuing his efforts to fully characterize the diet of the endangered Salt Marsh harvest mice, and to developed an indirect means of surveying for this species. The latter of these has been submitted and favorably reviewed (currently in revision), while the former is in final draft form, and should be submitted soon. Related work on the disease ecology of the salt marsh harvest mouse by MS student Sadie Trombley has been published. Similarly, research by MS student Jessica Lin was accepted for publication; I am now haggling with the publishers over layout, but this is in proof mode and should be completed soon. PhD student Leila Harris has completed some preliminary analyses on pesticide and heavy metal concentration in bats, and we anticipate building on this work over the coming year.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Farias, A. A., C. Armas, A. Gaxiola, A. P. Cea, J. Luis Cort�s, R. P. L�pez, F. Casanoves, M. Holmgren, P. L. Meserve, J. R. Guti�rrez, and D. A. Kelt. 2021. Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics. Ecological Monographs 91(2):e01441. DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1441 (NOTE: This publication was inadvertently listed in previous Annual Report as Armas, Farias, et al.; at that time this was accepted, but not published)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Armas, C., P. L. Meserve, J. R. Guti�rrez, and D. A. Kelt. Species all in one; ephemerals, rodents and their predators shape the effects of El Ni�o on arid perennial vegetation. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Reyes-D�az, J. L., C. A. L�pez-Gonz�lez, D. A. Kelt, J. Vargas-Cuenca, and N. E. Lara-D�az. 2021. A synthesis of Mexican mammalogy in Therya: the first 10 years. Therya 12(1):115-130.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2022 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Clifford, L. Barthman-Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and J. Foley. Pathogens and ectoparasites of salt marsh harvest mice (Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes) in the Suisun Marsh, California. J. Wildlife Diseases.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2022 Citation: Lin, J., L. S. Harris, M. L. Truan, A. Engilis, Jr., and D. A. Kelt. Spatiotemporal patterns in a riparian bat assemblage in an agricultural setting. J. Mammalogy.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Aylward, C. M., R. A. Grahn, L. Barthman-Thompson, D. A. Kelt, B. N. Sacks, and M. J. Statham. A novel non-invasive genetic survey technique for an endangered rodent.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Aylward, C., D. Kelt, M. Statham, and B. Sacks. Dietary assessment of an endangered ecological specialist in a novel ecosystem using multi-marker DNA metabarcoding. Oral presentation, 100th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 14-18 June 2021, Virtual venue.


Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:My target audience continues to be the general public interested in the ecology, biology, and conservation of California mammals, as well as state and federal land and wildlife managers. I have worked closely with colleagues in the US Forest Service, US Geological Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Fish & Game, California State Parks, California Department of Water Resources, the National Wildlife Research Center, and others. I have interfaced with State and Federal biologists on issues concerning small mammal ecology, conservation, and management. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All of my graduate students are pursuing research of direct relevance to the AES and to my Hatch program. Two of these have recently graduated; one is working for Cal DWR in her field, while the other is working in her field but out of state. Both are helping to disseminate AES-relevant results to regional land and wildlife managers. Past students include local ecological consultants, professors, and regional land use/wildlife managers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Primarily through oral presentations and peer-reviewed publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I anticipate making progress with two remaining students on their dissertation research, and moving the research of my recent two MS students to publication.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic I was unable to maintain my small mammal monitoring at a UC Natural Reserve site in the California desert, but I look forward to re-initiating this soon. Data from this site was core to the MS thesis of my student, Aviv Karasov-Olson, and has been published. Similarly, ongoing research in Suisun Marsh culminated in the MS thesis of Ms. Sadie Trombley, and we are moving her thesis towards a submittable manuscript now. Finally, MS student Jessica Lin completed her MS thesis on the ecology of bats along Putah Creek, an important riparian corridor in the Central Valley; we are preparing her resulting ms for submission. Continuing PhD student Cody Aylward who is investigating genetics of Salt Marsh harvest mice, and has developed an indirect means of surveying for this species which I expect to be a "ground breaker" in monitoring efforts. Finally, continuing PhD student Leila Harris is developing her dissertation research on applied ecology of bats. One of my PhD graduates (Rebecca Green, PhD 2017) continues to lead field research on the threatened Sierra fisher. Another PhD graduate (Katherine Smith, PhD 2018) works for a consulting firm in Marin County, where she continues to provide her expertise on the endangered Salt Marsh harvest mice.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Aylward, C. M., M. J. Statham, B. Sacks, and D. Kelt. Spatial and seasonal dietary analysis of salt marsh harvest mouse using DNA metabarcoding. Poster presented at the State of the Estuary conference. Oakland, California, USA, October 21, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Kelt, and J. Foley. The ins and outs of parasitology in the salt marsh harvest mouse and sympatric rodents in Suisun Marsh. Poster presentation delivered at the 14th Biennial State of the San Francisco Estuary conference. Oakland, California, USA, 21-22 October 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Kelt, J. Foley, P. Foley. The ins and outs of parasitology in the salt marsh harvest mouse and sympatric rodents. Poster presented at the State of the Estuary conference. Oakland, California, USA, October 21, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Kelt, and J. Foley. The ins and outs of parasitology in the salt marsh harvest mouse and sympatric rodents in Suisun Marsh. Poster presentation delivered at The Western Section of the Wildlife Society- Wildlife Disease and Toxicology Symposium. Sacramento, California, USA, November 8, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Aylward, C. M., B. N. Sacks, L. Barthman-Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and M. J. Statham. Using museum DNA to compare historical and modern genetic diversity in salt marsh harvest mouse. Poster presentation delivered at The Wildlife Society Western Section Conference. Redding, California, USA, February 6, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Kelt, and J. Foley. The ins and outs of parasitology in the salt marsh harvest mouse and sympatric rodents in Suisun Marsh. Poster presentation delivered at The California Department of Fish and Wildlife research symposium. Davis, California, USA, 25-27 February 2020.
  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Kelt, D. A., and J. L. Patton. 2020. A Manual of the Mammalia: an Homage to Lawlor's Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals. University of Chicago Press.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lim, N. T-L, D. A Kelt, K. K. P. Lim, and H. Bernard. Vertebrate scavengers control abundance of diarrheal-causing bacteria in tropical plantations. Zoological Studies.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Kelt, and J. Foley. Pathogens and ectoparasites of salt marsh harvest mice (Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes) in Suisun Marsh. Oral presentation delivered to the UC Davis Wildlife, Conservation, and Fisheries Biology Seminar Series. Davis, California, USA, September 30, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Aylward, C. M., M. J. Statham, B. N. Sacks, and D. A. Kelt. Characterizing diet of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and dietary partitioning using DNA metabarcoding. Oral presentation to be delivered to the UC Davis Wildlife, Conservation, and Fisheries Biology Seminar Series. Davis, California, USA, November 11, 2020.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Lin, Jessica. 2020. Spatiotemporal patterns of riparian bat assemblages within an agricultural matrix. Unpubl. MS Thesis. University of California Davis.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Trombley, Sadie. 2020. Pathogens and ectoparasites of salt marsh harvest mice (Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes) in the Suisun Marsh. Unpubl. MS Thesis. University of California Davis.


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:My target audience continues to be the general public interested in the ecology, biology, and conservation of California mammals, as well as state and federal land and wildlife managers. I have worked closely with colleagues in the US Forest Service, US Geological Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Fish & Game, California State Parks, Department of Water Resources, the National Wildlife Research Center, and others. I have interfaced with State and Federal biologists on issues concerning small mammal ecology; I continue to serve on the Technical Advisory Committee for the development of a revised California Mammal Species of Special Concern listing (although that effort appears to be defunct at this point). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All of my graduate students are pursuing research of direct relevance to the AES and to my Hatch program, and they will soon become independent workers helping to promote wise management of California resources. They also are proving to be central to the dissemination of AES-relevant results to regional land and wildlife managers. Past students include local ecological consultants, professors, and regional land use/wildlife managers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Primarily through oral presentations and peer-reviewed publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?At the moment, "more of the same" is the mantra of my lab. All students are pursuing their work very ably, and I look forward to helping them complete their research and write this up for dissemination to relevant stakeholders.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I continue tracking small mammal numbers at key long-term sampling sites in California desert, which provided both data and a series of sites for the MS research of one of my students (Aviv Karasov-Olson MS 2018). Competing responsibilities precluded site visits in Spring and Fall 2019, unfortunately. One of my PhD graduates (Rebecca Green, PhD 2017) continues to lead field research on the threatened Sierra fisher. PhD. graduate Katherine Smith (PhD 2018) is now a postdoc in my lab, where she continues her research on the endangered Salt Marsh harvest mice. She is now joined by PhD student Cody Aylward, who is investigating genetics of this species, and MS student Sadie Trombley, who is studying disease prevalence and potential transfer with co-habiting harvest mice, deer mice, and house mice. Aviv Karasov-Olson (MS, 2018) has successfully moved her thesis to a compelling publication (curerntly in press). MS student Jessica Lin (in final writing presently) has completed a groundbreaking study on the composition, structure, and seasonal changes in the bat community along an important riparian corridor in the Central Valley. Her work has established both a baseline of knowledge and a series of "unknowns" that provide a road map for "next steps" in studying these apex insectivores that are very likely providing important ecosystem services to farmers (via pest control). PhD student Leila Harris has initiated efforts to assess bioaccumulation of agricultural and other toxins (e.g., mercury) by bats. Initial work suggests high levels of mercury, but further work is needed to evaluate the generality of this result.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kelt, D. A., E. J. Heske, X. Lambin, M. K. Oli, J. L. Orrock, A. Ozgul, J. N. Pauli, L. R. Prugh, R. Sollmann, and S. Sommer. 2019. Advances in population dynamics and species interactions in mammals. Journal of Mammalogy 100(3):965-1007.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Meserve, P. L., S. G�mez-Gonz�lez, and D. A. Kelt. The Chilean matorral: characteristics, biogeography, and disturbance. Encyclopedia of the World's Biomes. Elsevier, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.11985-2
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, C. M. Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and H. U. Wittmer. 2019. Microsites and structures used by fishers (Pekania pennanti) in the southern Sierra Nevada: a comparison of forest elements used for daily resting relative to reproduction. Journal of Forest Ecology and Management 440:131-146.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wells, C. P., J. A. Wilson, D. A. Kelt, and D. H. Van Vuren. 2019. Body mass as an estimate of female body condition in a hibernating small mammal. Canadian Field-Naturalist 133(1):34-42.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Smith, K. R., and D. A. Kelt. Waterfowl management and the diet of the salt marsh harvest mouse. Journal of Wildlife Management 83(8):1687-1399
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Karasov-Olson, A., and D. A. Kelt. Small mammal assemblages and habitat associations across an elevation gradient in California. Journal of Mammalogy.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Smith, K. R., L. Barthman-Thompson, S. Estrella, M. K. Riley, S. Trombley, C. Rose, and D. A. Kelt. Demography of the salt marsh harvest mice (Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes) and associated rodents in tidal and managed wetlands. Journal of Mammalogy
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Karasov-Olson, A., and D. A. Kelt. Small mammal communities and habitat associations along an elevation gradient in southern California. Oral presentation, 98th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 25-29 June 2018, Manhattan, Kansas.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lin, J., L. Harris, D. Kelt, M. Truan, and A. Engilis, Jr. Understanding spatiotemporal patterns of bat assemblages in highly-altered agricultural riparian systems. Oral presentation, 99th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 28 June - 2 July 2019, Washington, D.C.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Smith, K. R., L. Barthman-Thompson, S. Estrella, M. K. Riley, and D. A. Kelt. Swimming against the tide: a unique mammal may be more exceptional than we ever Imagined. Oral presentation, 98th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 25-29 June 2018, Manhattan, Kansas
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Green, R. E. Green, K. L. Purcell, D. A. Kelt, C. M. Thompson, and H. U. Wittmer. Characteristics of habitat used by fishers (Pekania pennanti) during reproduction in the southern Sierra Nevada. Oral presentation, 98th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 25-29 June 2018, Manhattan, Kansas.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Aylward, C. M., L. S. Harris, D. A. Kelt, and J. M. Statham. DNA metabarcoding methods to elucidate trophic interactions of salt marsh harvest mouse, and application to other small mammal studies. Oral presentation, 66th annual meeting, Western Section of The Wildlife Society, 4-8 February 2019, Fish Camp, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Smith, K. R., L. Barthman-Thompson, S. Estrella, M. K. Riley, S. Trombley, C. Rose, and D. A. Kelt. Demography of the salt marsh harvest mouse and associated rodents in tidal and managed wetlands. Oral presentation, 66th annual meeting, Western Section of The Wildlife Society, 4-8 February 2019, Fish Camp, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, D. A. Kelt, C. M. Thompson, H. U. Wittmer, N. M. Hebert, E. L. McGregor. An assessment of habitat used by reproductive female fishers (Pekania pennanti) in the southern Sierra Nevada. Oral presentation, 66th annual meeting, Western Section of The Wildlife Society, 4-8 February 2019, Fish Camp, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Aylward, C., M. Statham, B. Sacks, and D. Kelt. Characterizing diet of an endangered salt marsh endemic rodent with DNA metabarcoding. Oral presentation, 99th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 28 June - 2 July 2019, Washington, D.C.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Trombley, S., D. Kelt, J. Foley, and P. Foley. An itch to know: the relationship between a rodent community and ectoparasite abundance. Oral presentation, 99th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 28 June - 2 July 2019, Washington, D.C.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Kelt, D. A. Programa de investigaci�n: aves (. . . o . . . La Avifauna de Fray Jorge [y el Norte Chico]). Seminario Cient�fico Parque Nactional Bosque Fray Jorge. 27 August 2019, La Serena, Chile


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:My target audience continues to be the general public interested in the ecology, biology, and conservation of California mammals, as well as state and federal land and wildlife managers. I have worked closely with colleagues in the US Forest Service, US Geological Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Fish & Game, California State Parks, Department of Water Resources, the National Wildlife Research Center, and others. I have interfaced with State and Federal biologists on issues concerning small mammal ecology; I continue to serve on the Technical Advisory Committee for the development of a revised California Mammal Species of Special Concern listing (although that effort appears to be defunct at this point). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted above, my graduate students are pursuing research of direct relevance to the AES and to my Hatch program, and they will soon become independent workers helping to promote wise management of California resources. They also are proving to be central to the dissemination of AES-relevant results to regional land and wildlife managers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Primarily through oral presentations and peer-reviewed publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As noted above, I have accepted three new students, and they all will be continuing the efforts of my recent students. In particular, Sadie Trombley (MS) is studying disease ecology in the salt marsh harvest mouse, and Cody Aylward (PhD) is studying the population and metapopulation genetics of this species; both themes were highlighted by Dr. Smith's PhD as key topics in need of further study. Leila Harris will be studying the foraging and agricultural ecology of bats, providing much-needed insight to the role that these species play in pest control.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I continue tracking small mammal numbers at key long-term sampling sites in California desert, which provided both data and a series of sites for the MS research of one of my students (Aviv Karasov-Olson MS 2018). My students continue their applied research on Sierra fisher (Rebecca Green, PhD 2017), Salt Marsh harvest mice (Katherine Smith, PhD 2018), desert small mammals (Karasov-Olson, listed above), and bats in walnut orchards (Kate Ingram, MS 2018) and riparian habitat (Jessica Lin, MS nearing completion). My PhD student, Katherine Smith, recently completed her dissertation research on the conservation needs of the State and Federally endangered Salt Marsh harvest mouse. Her work provided a comprehensive understanding of current and coming research and management needs for this species. Additionally, she documented that this mouse readily consumes (and appears to favor) non-native vegetation that is planted for waterfowl, suggesting a "win-win" management opportunity. Finally, she conducted the most comprehensive and expansive demographic analysis on this species, showing conclusively that population dynamics generally are similar in "natural" tidal marshes (thought to be the best habitat for this species) and non-tital marshes that are managed for human needs (agriculture, hunting, etc.). Dr. Smith is now pursuing postdoctoral work with me on key management needs of this species. My MS student, Aviv Karasov-Olson, has completed her MS, submitted her work for publication, and moved on to a PhD program on applied ecology in California forests. My MS student, Jessica Lin, has completed all data collection for her remarkable study on the bat fauna of a local riparian corridor over an entire year. Ms. Lin is completing analyses currently, and initiating the writing of her thesis, which I anticipate may be a highly novel and insightful view of the complexity and unexpected diversity of bats in the Central Valley. I have three new students this year; two of these will pursue additional studies on the salt marsh harvest mouse, while the third will be studying bats in the Central Valley, likely including assessment of their ecosystem (esp. agricultural) services.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Dornelas, M., L. H. Antão, F. Moyes, A. E. Bates, A. E. Magurran, and 248 co-authors. 2018. BioTIME: a database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene. Global Ecology & Biogeography 27:760-786. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12729.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sikes, R. S., D. A. Kelt, S. R. Beissinger, K. Martin, B. I. Crother, and K. S. Cole. 2018. Fund the Biological Survey Unit. Science (letter) 359(6377):754-755.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Alfaro, F. D., M. Manzano, S. Abades, N. Trefault, R. de la Iglesia, A. Gaxiola, P. A. Marquet, J. R. Gutiérrez, P. L. Meserve, D. A. Kelt, J. Belnap, and J. J. Armesto. 2018 Exclusion of small mammals and lagomorphs invasion interact with human trampling to drive changes in topsoil microbial community structure and function in semiarid Chile. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 124:1-10.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, C. M. Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and H. U. Wittmer. Reproductive parameters of the fisher (Pekania pennanti) in the southern Sierra Nevada, California. Journal of Mammalogy 99(3):537-553.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Smith, K. R., M. K. Riley, L. Barthman-Thompson, M. J. Statham, S. Estrella, and D. A. Kelt. Toward salt marsh harvest mouse recovery: research priorities. San Francisco Estuary & Watershed Science 16(2), article 1.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Smith, K. R., M. K. Riley, L. Barthman-Thompson, I. Woo, M. J. Statham, S. Estrella, and D. A. Kelt. Toward salt marsh harvest mouse recovery: a review. San Francisco Estuary & Watershed Science 16(2), article 2.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Karasov-Olson, A., and D. A. Kelt. Habitat associations of small mammals along an extensive elevation gradient. Poster presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, C. M. Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and H. U. Wittmer. Fisher (Pekania pennanti) reproductive parameters in the southern Sierra Nevada relative to the broader range. Poster presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, C. M. Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and H. U. Wittmer. Characteristics associated with tree cavities used by female fishers (Pekania pennanti) as reproductive dens. Oral presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kelt, D. A, P. L Meserve, L. E. Aguilera, C. Armas, W. B. Milstead, A. Previtali, and J. R Gutiérrez. Small mammals in the Anthropocene: Climate change and long-term observations in semi-arid Chile. Invited symposium presentation, 12th International Mammalogical Congress, 9-14 July 2017, Perth, Australia.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kelt, D. A., R. H. Blenk, P. L. Meserve, W. B. Milstead, A. Previtali, and J. R. Gutiérrez. Chilean foxes exhibit a Type IV functional response in response to changes in abundance of a social prey species. Poster presentation, 12th International Mammalogical Congress, 9-14 July 2017, Perth, Australia.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kelt, D. A. Chilean serendipity: more on the value of long-term field research. Invited oral presentation, 6 June 2018, WFCB, UC Davis.


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:My target audience continues to be the general public interested in the ecology, biology, and conservation of California mammals, as well as state and federal land and wildlife managers. I have worked closely with colleagues in the US Forest Service, US Geological Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Fish & Game, California State Parks, Department of Water Resources, the National Wildlife Research Center, and others. I have interfaced with State and Federal biologists on issues concerning small mammal ecology; I continue to serve on the Technical Advisory Committee for the development of a revised California Mammal Species of Special Concern listing. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As noted above, my graduate students are pursuing research of direct relevance to the AES and to my Hatch program, and they will soon become independent workers helping to promote wise management of California resources. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Primarily through oral presentations and peer-reviewed publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Most, possibly all, of my current graduate group will complete their degrees this year, and I am accepting new students to pick up where this cadre has left off, to pursue research on T&E species in the Suisun Marsh, bats along Putah Creek, and small mammals in general in wild and human-influenced habitats in California.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I continue tracking small mammal numbers at key long-term sampling sites in California desert, now integrating the MS research of one of my students. My students continue their applied research on Sierra fisher (PhD completed 2017), Salt Marsh harvest mice, desert small mammals, and bats in walnut orchards and riparian habitat. My PhD student, Kate Ingram, is distilling data and initiating analyses forher work on the ecology of bats in California walnut orchards. She also has completed a survey of local farmers to gauge knowledge of and interest in bats as "free pest control" - a publication has been submitted. My PhD student, Katherine Smith, has completed all of her research on the conservation needs of the State and Federally endangered Salt Marsh harvest mouse. She has submitted a comprehensive assessment of needs for this species to a peer-reviewed journal, and has almost completed a diet study which fortuitously documents that local management for waterfowl also provides foods for Salt Marsh harvest mice. Dr. Rebecca Green completed her PhD this past year, and we are currently revising the first of her dissertation chapters that has been favorably reviewed. My MS student, Aviv Karasov-Olson, is studying the ecology of small mammals in a desert region of southern California. She has completed all field work, and currently is finishing analyses for her first chapter. My MS student, Jessica Lin, has completed a ground-breaking first year of work to characterize the bat fauna of a local riparian corridor over an entire year. This work continues, and appears to be documenting greater diversity than anticipated.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kelt, D. A., R. Sollmann, A. M. White, S. L. Roberts, and D. H. Van Vuren. 2017. Origins of biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada: filtering by natural selection or by anthropogenic activities? Journal of Mammalogy 98(1):85-93.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Aliperti, J. R., D. A. Kelt, P. Heady III, and W. F. Frick. 2017. Using behavioral and stable isotope data to quantify rare dietary plasticity in a temperate bat. Journal of Mammalogy 98(2):340-349.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hayes, L. D, L. A. Ebensperger, D. A. Kelt, P. L. Meserve, N. Pillay, V. A. Viblanc, and C. Schradin. 2017. Long-term field studies in rodents. Journal of Mammalogy 98(3):624-651.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Karasov-Olson, A., and D. A. Kelt. Habitat associations of small mammals along an extensive elevation gradient. Poster presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, C. M. Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and H. U. Wittmer. Fisher (Pekania pennanti) reproductive parameters in the southern Sierra Nevada relative to the broader range. Poster presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Green, R. E., K. L. Purcell, C. M. Thompson, D. A. Kelt, and H. U. Wittmer. Characteristics associated with tree cavities used by female fishers (Pekania pennanti) as reproductive dens. Oral presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kelt, D. A, P. L Meserve, L. E. Aguilera, C. Armas, W. B. Milstead, A. Previtali, and J. R Guti�rrez. Small mammals in the Anthropocene: Climate change and long-term observations in semi-arid Chile. Invited symposium presentation, 12th International Mammalogical Congress, 9-14 July 2017, Perth, Australia.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kelt, D. A., R. H. Blenk, P. L. Meserve, W. B. Milstead, A. Previtali, and J. R. Guti�rrez. Chilean foxes exhibit a Type IV functional response in response to changes in abundance of a social prey species. Poster presentation, 12th International Mammalogical Congress, 9-14 July 2017, Perth, Australia.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Kelt, D. A., R. H. Blenk, P. L. Meserve, W. B. Milstead, M. A. Previtali, and J. R. Guti�rrez. Benefits of sociality: a Type IV functional response in a South American fox. Poster presentation, 97th annual meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, 20-24 June, Moscow, Idaho.