Effects of corridors on home range sizes and interpatch movements of three small mammal species

Corridors are predicted to benefit populations in patchy habitats by promoting movement, which should increase population densities, gene flow, and recolonization of extinct patch populations. However, few investigators have considered use of the total landscape, particularly the possibility of interpatch movement through matrix habitat, by small mammals. This study compares home range sizes of 3 species of small mammals, the cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus), old-field mouse (P. polionotus) and cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) between patches with and without corridors. The study site was in S. Carolina, USA. Corridor presence did not have a statistically significant influence on average home range size. Habitat specialization and sex influenced the probability of an individual moving between 2 patches without corridors. The results of this study suggest that small mammals may be more capable of interpatch movement without corridors than is frequently assumed.