University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2016 Impacts Of Forest Disturbance On Small Mammal Distribution Allyson Lenora Degrassi University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Recommended Citation Degrassi, Allyson Lenora, "Impacts Of Forest Disturbance On Small Mammal Distribution" (2016). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 640. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/640 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. IMPACTS OF FOREST DISTURBANCE ON SMALL MAMMAL DISTRIBUTION A Dissertation Presented by Allyson Lenora Degrassi to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Department of Biology Octorber, 2016 Defense Date: August 3rd, 2016 Dissertation Examination Committee: Nicholas J. Gotelli, Ph.D., Advisor Therese M. Donovan, Ph.D., Chairperson Alison K. Brody, Ph.D., Committee Member C. William Kilpartick, Ph.D., Committee Member Cynthia J. Forehand, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College ABSTRACT Natural habitat in the eastern United States has diminished over the past century because of the effects of invasive species. Both plant and animal invaders can alter habitat structure and may decrease survival of native species. The degree to which an invasive species alters ecosystem function depends on the functional characteristics of affected species and the resulting cascading effects.