Fire impacts on a forest obligate: western gray squirrel response to burn severity

摘要: In the southwestern United States, climate change and climate–fire dynamics are affecting distribution of natural managed ecosystems. Forest obligate species on sky islands can experience a restriction in range with increase destructive forest fires. Using presence/absence data collected by hair tubes, we identified key habitat features that determine western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) island San Bernardino Mountains (California, USA) determined post-fire differential use burn severity landscape modified fire. Gray presence was related to important for this species’ ecology behavior, especially those associated mature forests. The detected areas high percentage conifers provide both an food resource good branches cavities nest sites. squirrels occurred all severities but more low sites than unburned These results suggest persist after wildfire take advantage structure if mosaic is maintained forest.