V71 P97 Rosentreter Et Al.PDF
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Roger Rosenireter,Bureau ofLand Management1387S Vinne Way, Boise ldaho 83709. GregoryD. Hayward,Departrnent of Zoologyand Physloogy tln versityof Wyomng Larame Wyomng 82071 ano MarciaWicklow-Howard, B ologyDepartment Bo se StateUn versity Boise. ldaho 83725. NorthernFlying Squirrel Seasonal Food Habits in the InteriorConifer Forestsof Centralldaho, USA Abstract Microhistological analysis of 200 scals collected from two arlilicial nest boxes used by nofthem flying squirrels (Gldr.dm-vr rdbrrrllr) in central ldaho show disdnc! seasonalvariation. The llying squirrelsconsumed hypogeous, myconhizal fungi in the summcr and arboreallichens and hypogeous,mycorrhizal fungi in |he winter Dominant summerlbods included boleloid genera and kxcrrgdrlsr, while dominant winter foods include lichens in thc genus Brjrr.ia, boletoid generaand the genus Gzrrie,"ld. Central Idaho conifer lbresls developedunder a continenul climate characterizedby summer drougb! and long. sno*'covered winter and spring condirions. Theseclimatic and vegetationconditions are considerablydiflerent from thosefound west ofthe Cascadesnhere most studiesof northernfl]'ing squirrelshave becn conducted. lntroduction chemical testsfor speciesdeterminations, raises doubts regardingthe identity of somelichen genera flying squinel (Glaricomys Studies of northem and speciesreported. An understandingof the diets in western North America sabrinus) taxa consumedby flying squirrelsis futher con- (McKeever Fogel andTrappe 1978,Maser 1960, fused becausethe genusU-rr".r has frequently been 1991,Hall et al. 1978,Maser et al. 1985,Carey misapplied to Alectoria, which it superficially a complexfunctional 1991,Carey 1995) suggest resemblesboth morphologicallyand ecologically. mycorrhizal lungi critical relationship in which Alectoria has been subdivided (Brodo and growth trees are dispersedby arboreal to the of Hawkswonh 1977) into severalgenera, includ- Mountains.the diet rodents.West ofthe Cascade irgAlectorie arLdBr)ioi.iQ. We suspectthat many flying squirrel consistslargely of of the nonhern reportsof Usneaare eitherAlectoria sarmentosa Mountains and in fungi. East of the Cascade or Bryoria species. Alaska.where winters are long andsnow-covered, northern flying squirrelsconsume fungi and ar- Therefore,based on chemisty andtaxonomic not boreallichens (Maser et al. 1986,McKeever 1960, confusion,we suggestthat flying squirrels do Mowrey et al. 1984). Lichen speciesrepofted in regularlyconsume any ofthe previouslyreported lichen taxaexcept B whichlacks ilying squirrel diets include: Bryorid Jremontii ry-oriafremontii, secondarychemical compounds(Brodo and (Tuck.) Brodo and Hawkswotth (Maser et al. 1986), Hawksworth1977, Rosentreter and Eslick 1993). Alec t o r i afre nontii (Al ect o r ia syn.= B ryo ria ) and Usnea ceratina Ach. (McKeever 1960), Usnea Previous studieshave identified lichen tiag- barbata(L.)\'/eber exWigg. (Cowan1936), and ments from stomachcontents or scatsof the north- Letharia, Ph;lscia,and unidentifiedlichens (Hall em flying squirrel. In studiesof northem flying 1991). Other authorshave merely classifiedthe squirrelrecovery in WestVirginia, Mitchell (1994) "lichens" observedfood by the category (Conner recordedlichen presencein scatsby quantifying 1960,Maser et al. 1978). the presenceof algal cells. Unfortunately voucher specimensof lichens In this study,we soughtto identify the range were either not made or have not been located of fbods consumedby northem flying squirrels for studiesby Maser et al. (1986),McKeever in an interior forestof the Nothern Rocky Moun- (1960),or Mowrey and Zasada(1984), leaving tains. We were particularly interestedin the di- the taxonomy unverified. The complexity of li- versity of myconhizal fungi eatenby the squir- chen taxonomy, which in some casesrequires rels and the relative consumption of fungi and NorthwestScience, Vol.71, No. 2, 1997 97 O l997bl $c Nodnqe$ Scientific Ai$ciation All nghrsr.scscd. lichen. We also wishedto determinethe seasonal potentialArleJ lttsiocarpa habitat series(Steele vadation in lbods consuned in light of the long et al. 1981)at ca. 1920m elevation.The winrer periodofdeep snow-cover experienced by squinels scatbox site was dominatedby Abies lasiocarpa in thisregion. while the summerscat box was dominatedby Plzas contort.r. Thetwo communallatrine boxesprob- StudyArea ably representscats tiom between2 l2 individual squinels.Maser et al. (1981)reported aggrega We examined flying squirrel scatscollected on tions of northem flying squirrels, the PayetteNational Forestin centralIdaho near and we have observedup to six adult squirrelsin a nest McCall,Idaho, USA. Scatswere collected in two box at onetime. Scats werc storeddryuntil drainages,the Nofth Fork PayetteRiverand Goose analysisbegan in December1993. Creek. The PayetteNational Forestis mountain ous;elevations range from l.520to 2,140m. lts Laboratoryanalysis climatehas a strongPacific coastal influence during \ interbul follr'$sconlinenlJl patternr in .rrm- Dried flying squirrel scatswere placedin forma- mer (Finklin 1988). Annual precipitationaver- Iin (47oformaldehyde) to prevent any exposure agesover 100cm a year andfalls largely as snow, to Hantavirus.One hundred scats were randomly which accumulatesto depthsof 1.5 to 2 m. In selectedfuom each of the two large communal most yea.rs50% of the ground at higher eleva- latrines.Each scat was soaked in a glassvial in tions is coveredby snowuntil afier June 1st. The approximately2 ml tbrmalin and then set on a landscapeis dominatedby conifer fbrests,most slidewarrner at 45'C tbr 2.1hours(summer scats) standssupporting a sparseshrub layer but an ex- or 48 hou$ (winter scats)to soften. Winter scitts tensiveground Jayer of low shrubs(Vaccialln), were harder and required more time to soften. grasses.and fbrbs. Foresttypes included spnrce-fir After the warm soaking, scatswere crushed in (Picea engelmannliParry- Ari.r-r lasiocarpa the glass vials with a glassrod. An eyedropper (Hook.r Nun.'. Douglt:-t.rrr Ptetdotsuqa ntn:ie:ii was insertedinto the vial and squeezedquickly (Mirb.) Franco) and I odgepolepine (Pinus contortLl eight times to thoroughly mix the sample. One Dougl.)(Steele et al. 1981). drop of the mixture was placed on a clean glass slide. Two dropsof Melzer'ssolution were added. Methods The slide was allowed to partially air dry. Two dropsofPoly-vinyl alcohd (PVA)were then added. Fied lVethods and a plastic cover slip was placed over the ma terial. Ten random area views were examined Northem flying squirrel scatswere collected in under a light microscopeat 400x, or when view- 1989frorn a systemofartiflcial woodennest boxes ing larger structures,100x. This method was a established on the Payette National Forest modification ofColgan et al. (in press),Maser et (Hayward and Rosentreter1994). Scarsdepos- al. (1986)and Mclntire and Carey (1989). Algal ited during the winter monthsand collectedin cells were comparedto fiesh specimensof the early June when snow still covered the ground common Bryr)rla species from the study area were classified as winter scats.Scats deposited (Hayward and Rosentreter1994). A\l BDoriq fiomJune throughAugustwere classified as sum- specrescontained the algal genus Trebouxiq. mer scats.These seasonallyproduced scats dif- Trebouxiaare green. single-celled algae with round f'ered in color and hardness;winter scatswere to ovate cells and a distinctive starchpyrenoid. harderand darker Nomenclaturelbr thelichens follows Egan(1987). Someboxes were usedos communal latdnes Fungalspores were identified by useofCastellano rather than roosts or natal nests and provided a etal. (1989). Nomenclaturetbr fungi fbllows that largenumber ofscats, numberingfrom 20 to 400 usedby Castellanoet al. (1989). per box. Two such latrine boxes liom compa- Permanentyoucher slides were made ofeach rable habitatswere sampledand analyzed. One type oftungal sporeby addingfive or more drops latrine box containedsummer scats and the other of PVA and drying slides on a warmer ar 30"C containedonly winter scats. Both latrine box for approximately 30 minutes. Voucher speci- siteswere in older aged stands(greater than 180 mens of sporeswere veritied by TeresaLabe1. yearsold) with north-facingaspects classified as Wesley Colgan III. and Michael Castellano. 98 Rosentreter.Hayward, and Wicklow-Howard Voucher slides are stored with the mycological is indicatedby the higher frequencyofalgal cells collectionsat the SnakeRiver Plains Herbarium ln the scats. (SRP) at Boise StateUniversity. L Cnens The presenceof each type of fungal spore, vascularplant tissue,or algal cell was recorded Winter scats contained a higher frequency of and tiequency of occurrencecalculated for each Trebouxia(86Vc), the phycobiont algafor the ar- type of material (Holechekand Cross 1982). boreallichenBryoria, than the summerscats (25clo) Abundance, relative density, or percentageby (Tablei). Thewinter scats also had a higherin- volume(Maseret al. 1978)were not rateddue to cidenceof intact lichens,suggestjng that asfungi different spore sizes,making theseratings diffi- becamescarce in winter. Iichenswere more fre- cullan.l inlccurale (Willirms 1987). quently eaten. Results Fungi SeasonalVariat on Flying squirel scatscontained spores represent- ing manyta\a offungi (Tablel). TheAscomyotina Resultsfiom microhistologicalinvestigations fungi thatre lichenizedare considered lichen and demonstrateddistinct differencesbetween sum- are not included here asAscomyotina. The per- merand winter scats (Fig. 1).Dominant summer centageof Ascomycotinato Basidiomycotina