Microhabitat Factors Influencing Shrew Diversity In A Southern Appalachian Deciduous Forest

Shrews are important keystone predators in many forest communities. Because of their extremely high metabolism, they feed voraciously and almost continuously on a wide variety of terrestrial invertebrates and small vertebrates. While previous studies suggest a relationship between shrew abundance and environmental moisture, relatively little is known about how other environmental factors influence microgeographic distribution and abundance of individual shrew species. To examine this problem, twelve 50x50m plots were established in the Pisgah National Forest, Burke County, N.C., which consisted of three replicates in each combination of north and south slope (N/S) with and without a nearby stream (+ / -).