Small Mammal Inventories in an Eastern Brazilian Park

Abstract

Small mammal inventories were conducted between September 1985 and February 1987 in native forest, exotic forest, and open field habitats in a state forestry park in southeastern Brazil. In 40,490 trap nights, 17 species of non-volant small mammals were captured. This small mammal fauna was composed of 6 species of didelphid marsupials and 11 species of rodents. Open field habitats were dominated, in terms of species richness and relative abundance, by rodents. One species, Akodon cursor, represented 85% of the captures in this habitat type. Forested habitats, both native and exotic, were composed of more species of rodents, but higher relative densities of didelphid marsupials. Didelphid marsupials Metachirus nudicaudams, Marmosa incana, and M. cinerea were the three most common and ubiquitous forest-dwelling species captured during the inventory. Exotic Eucalyptus forests with native species subcanopyhelp to maintain the species diversity of small mammals in a landscape greatly altered by human activities.