Indirect Human Influences in Fear Landscapes: Varying Effects of Moonlight on Small Mammal Activity along Man-Made Gradients of Vegetation Structure

Risk of predation is one of the main constraints of small mammal distribution and foraging activity. Aside from numerical effects on population size due to the presence and abundance of predators, indirect cues, such as vegetation structure and moonlight, determine patterns of activity and microhabitat use by small mammals. Indirect cues are expected to interact, as shading provided by vegetation can suppress the effects of changing moonlight. We analyzed the effects of moonlight levels on the activity patterns of three common small mammal species in Mediterranean habitats, and tested whether moonlight effects were modulated by shadowing associated with the development of tall vegetation due to spontaneous afforestation following land abandonment. A. sylvaticus, a strictly nocturnal species, decreased activity under moonlight with no interactive effects of vegetation cover. C. russula showed no activity change with moonlight levels and M. spretus increased activity, although activity in both species was mostly determined by vegetation cover, that favored it. The effects of moonlight on small mammal activity were not homogeneous among species, nor were the interactive effects of man-made gradients of habitat structure, a fact that will produce community changes along vegetation gradients mediated by varying fear landscapes.

Automated summary

The risk of predation is a major constraint on the distribution and foraging activities of small mammals. In addition to direct effects on population size, indirect cues such as vegetation structure and moonlight also influence activity patterns and microhabitat use. We examined the effects of moonlight levels and vegetation cover on the activity patterns of three small mammal species in Mediterranean habitats. The results showed species-specific responses, with some species being influenced more by moonlight and others more by vegetation cover. The interactive effects of habitat structure gradients further mediate community changes along vegetation gradients.