| Red tree vole | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
| Genus: | Arborimus |
| Species: | A. longicaudus |
| Binomial name | |
| Arborimus longicaudus (True, 1890) | |
The red tree vole (Arborimus longicaudus) is a rodent of the Pacific Northwest, found in the US states of Oregon and California. They were formerly known as Phenacomys longicaudus and have also been called the red tree mouse.
The red tree vole is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. [2] It is found only in coastal forests of Oregon and northern California. They feed exclusively on the needles of conifers, primarily Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), though they occasionally eat the needles of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), grand fir (Abies grandis), and Bishop pine (Pinus muricata). [3] [ page needed ] [4] [ full citation needed ] [5] [ page needed ]
Red tree voles are about 6-8 in long, including the tail. [6] When they are young, they exhibit a dull brown coat and develop a more reddish color with age. They are nocturnal and very difficult to see, but they can be detected by finding piles or wads of these resin ducts on the ground. [7]
Red tree voles live almost exclusively in Douglas-fir trees, though they have occasionally been found in Sitka spruce and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). They sometimes spend their lives in just one tree, and in very large trees with complex structure many generations can live in different parts of the same tree. [6] Red tree voles have been shown to have a home-range averaging around 800 m2, though this area is somewhat smaller in old forest (<80 years) and larger in young forest. Within this home-range they can have nests in up to 6 different trees, although 2 nests are average for females and 3 nests are average for males. [8]
When eating Douglas-fir needles, they carefully remove the fine resin ducts (which resemble coarse, straight hairs) along each edge of the needle, which then become a major component of their nests (see image below). As well as these resin ducts, their nests are composed of small Douglas-fir cuttings and their own scat. These nests are often built on or in large or epicormic branches, broken tops, cavities and split trunks, and are always within the live crown. [9]
Both sexes of red tree vole build nests, though the maternal nests are considerably larger. [9]
Red tree voles have small litters consisting of 1 to 4 offspring and a long gestation period of 28 days compared to other Microtines. Juveniles depend on their mothers for 47 to 60 days before complete independence. Females exhibit post-partum mating where they can breed within a few days of giving birth and it is common to find two separate litters living in the same nest. [10] During peak breeding periods (winter and spring), males disperse and travel longer distances from home in search for females that are sexually receptive. Females tend to stay closer to their nests, therefore having smaller home ranges. [11]
The northern spotted owl is one of the red tree voles' primary predators. Recent studies show that short-tailed weasels are also another primary predator of the red tree vole. Females are easier to detect by predators due to their maternal nests. The time they spend outside of their nests searching for food to bring back for their young also puts them at a higher risk of predation. [12]
Their habitats in old forests have become a concern for the species. Logging and habitat fragmentation has determined their status as vulnerable on the list of sensitive species on the Oregon coast. [12] They are vulnerable to timber harvest due to their arboreal lifestyle and their low reproductive rates contribute to the concern of the species becoming further threatened. [10] They are an important food source for the threatened Northern Spotted Owl and have been listed as a "survey and manage species" under the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) in order to help manage the area's ecosystem. [13]
Pseudotsuga is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. Common names for species in the genus include Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Douglas tree, Oregon pine and Bigcone spruce. Pseudotsuga menziesii is widespread in western North America and is an important source of timber. The number of species has long been debated, but two in western North America and two to four in eastern Asia are commonly acknowledged.
The Douglas fir is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three varieties: coast Douglas-fir, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and Mexican Douglas-fir.
The snowshoe hare, also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.
The western tanager, is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), other members of its genus and it are classified in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family.
Alnus rubra, the red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.
The marbled murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the family Alcidae, which includes auklets, guillemots, murres and puffins. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. The marbled murrelet has declined in number since humans began logging its nest trees in the latter half of the 19th century. The decline of the marbled murrelet and its association with old-growth forests, at least in the southern part of its range, have made it a flagship species in the forest preservation movement.
Tsuga heterophylla, the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California. The Latin species name means 'variable leaves'.
The long-tailed vole, in some areas known as the San Bernardino long-tailed vole, is a small vole found in western North America. They have short ears and a long tail. Their fur is gray brown with light gray underparts. They are around 18 cm (7.1 in) long with an 8 cm (3.1 in) tail and weigh about 50 g (1.8 oz).
The genus Phenacomys is a group of North American voles. The genus name comes from the Greek for "imposter mouse."
The genus Arborimus is a group of voles found in western North America. The genus name is Latin for "tree mouse". Some sources include this genus with the heather voles, genus Phenacomys, and both are classified in the tribe Phenacomyini.
Abies magnifica, the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at 1,400–2,700 metres (4,600–8,900 ft) elevation, though only rarely reaching tree line. The name red fir derives from the bark color of old trees.
The Central Oregon Coast Range is the middle section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, and located in the west-central portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Salmon River and the Umpqua River and the Willamette Valley and the Pacific Ocean. This approximately 90-mile (140 km) long mountain range contains mountains as high as 4,097 feet for Marys Peak. Portions of the range are inside the Siuslaw National Forest and three wilderness areas exist as well: Drift Creek Wilderness, Cummins Creek Wilderness and Rock Creek Wilderness.
The Sonoma tree vole or California red tree mouse is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. The species is found in northwest California. The preferred habitat for this primarily arboreal vole is old-growth Douglas-fir forests.
Pine and fir trees, grown purposely for use as Christmas trees, are vulnerable to a wide variety of pests, weeds and diseases. Many of the conifer species cultivated face infestations and death from such pests as the balsam woolly adelgid and other adelgids. Aphids are another common insect pest. Christmas trees are also vulnerable to fungal pathogens and their resultant illnesses such as root rot, and, in the U.S. state of California, sudden oak death. Douglas-fir trees in particular are vulnerable to infections from plant pathogens such as R. pseudotsugae.
The Siuslaw National Forest is a national forest in western Oregon in the United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes.
Salmo-Priest Wilderness is a 41,335 acre (167.28 km2) wilderness area located in the Selkirk Mountains in the northeast corner of Washington state, within the Colville National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest.
The Klamath Mountains ecoregion of Oregon and California lies inland and north of the Coast Range ecoregion, extending from the Umpqua River in the north to the Sacramento Valley in the south. It encompasses the highly dissected ridges, foothills, and valleys of the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains. It corresponds to the Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and to the Klamath-Siskiyou forests ecoregion designated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
The Ecology of the North Cascades is heavily influenced by the high elevation and rain shadow effects of the mountain range. The North Cascades is a section of the Cascade Range from the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington, United States, to the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers in British Columbia, Canada, where the range is officially called the Cascade Mountains but is usually referred to as the Canadian Cascades. The North Cascades Ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion in the Commission for Environmental Cooperation's classification system.
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, commonly known as Coast Douglas-fir, Pacific Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to central California, United States. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Klamath and California Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Lucia Mountains with a small stand as far south as the Purisima Hills, Santa Barbara County. In the Sierra Nevada it ranges as far south as the Yosemite region. It occurs from near sea level along the coast to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) in the California Mountains. Further inland, coast Douglas-fir is replaced by Rocky Mountain or interior Douglas-fir. Interior Douglas-fir intergrades with coast Douglas-fir in the Cascades of northern Washington and southern British Columbia.
The fauna of the State of Oregon includes a wide array of species.
| Authority control databases: National |
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