Small mammal communities in restored prairies: comparing monitoring methods and assessing occupancy responses to local and landscape-scale variables

Native prairies are among the most ecologically valuable yet critically endangered ecosystems, with <0.01% of their original extent remaining in Illinois due to extensive agricultural and urban development. Restoration efforts seek to reconstruct prairie landscapes and recover ecological communities, with small mammals serving as key indicators of ecosystem health and providing valuable insight into restoration progress and ecological function. To evaluate small mammal communities in restored prairies, I surveyed 21 sites in north-central Illinois and Indiana during 2023 and 2024. In Chapter 2, I compare three survey methods for their effectiveness in measuring small mammal species richness: live trapping, bucket camera traps, and airborne environmental DNA (eDNA). My results suggest that each method had unique strengths: camera traps detected the highest number of species, live trapping enabled precise species identification, and eDNA provided a non-invasive detection tool. The species detected varied among the three methods, highlighting the value of multi-method approaches. In Chapter 3, I analyzed how local vegetation and landscape-scale variables influenced occupancy and detection probabilities of small mammal species. Temperature, average vegetation height, year, and sampling method were strong predictors of detection. Occupancy was influenced by local vegetation structure, including plant height and dominance of specific functional groups, litter depth, and surrounding land cover types. Species-specific responses varied across ecological groups, with generalist and facultative species more strongly influenced by local habitat features, while grassland specialists responded more significantly to landscape-scale variables. These findings underscore the ecological complexity of restored prairie systems and emphasize the need for adaptive monitoring and management strategies that reflect the diverse habitat requirements of small mammals.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Saftoiu, Bianca Maria

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sperry, Jinelle H.
• Schooley, Robert L
• Benson, Thomas J
• Wolff, Patrick J.

• Small Mammal Communities
• Restored Prairies
• Methodology
• Occupancy Modeling

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Bianca Saftoiu

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130068

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130068