Effects of shelter addition on Akodon azarae and Calomys laucha (Rodentia, Muridae) in agroecosystems of Central Argentina during winter

Published source details Hodara K., Busch M. & Kravetz F.O. (2000) Effects of shelter addition on Akodon azarae and Calomys laucha (Rodentia, Muridae) in agroecosystems of Central Argentina during winter. Mammalia, 64, 295.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Provide artificial refuges/breeding sites Action Link

Provide artificial refuges/breeding sites

A replicated, randomized, controlled, before-and-after study in 1995 in a sunflower field in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (Hodara et al. 2000) found that providing artificial refuges did not increase abundances of small vesper mice Calomys laucha or Azara's grass mice Akodon azarae. The number of small vesper mice one to two months after refuges were placed did not differ significantly between plots with (4) and without refuges (5–8), and had not differed before refuges were placed (refuge plots: 14; no refuges: 18). Similarly, the number of Azara's grass mice did not differ between plots with (9–30) and without refuges (5–20) one to two months after refuges were placed, and had not differed before they were placed (refuge plots: 37; no refuges: 34). In July 1995, 60 artificial shelters (12 cm long, 10 cm diameter tins with one entrance hole, provided with cottonwool and wrapped in paper and nylon bags) were half-buried at each of three randomly selected plots. Three other plots received no shelters. Mice were live-trapped for three consecutive nights in all six plots, one week before shelters were provided (late-July) and twice after (mid-August and early-September) using Sherman traps baited with peanut butter, laid 10 m apart in grids of 15 × 4 traps.

(Summarised by: Ricardo Rocha)