Ecological characteristics of small mammal communities inhabiting Tar Creek Superfund Site, Oklahoma

Scope and method of study. The objective of this study was to access the response of small mammal communities to the effects of habitats contaminated with heavy metals at Tar Creek Superfund Site compared to uncontaminated reference sites. A mark-recapture study was conducted for 2 consecutive years at 2 sites within Tar Creek Superfund Site, Douthat and Beaver Creek, and 2 uncontaminated reference sites, Lake Carl Blackwell and Oologah Wildlife Management Area. Basic demographic parameters of small mammal populations, particularly Peromyscus leucopus, and community structure were compared between sites.; Findings and conclusions. Small mammal communities inhabiting contaminated sites within Tar Creek Superfund Site had reduced species diversity, including richness and evenness, compared to reference sites. Species composition was more similar between contaminated sites than reference sites as evidenced by detrended correspondence analysis. Basic demographic parameters, such as population size, survival rates, sex ratios, reproductive activity, home range size, and intesity of botfly infestation, of a commonly captured species, Peromyscus leucopus, were not statistically different between contaminated and reference sites; however, a direct link could not be made to the actual level of heavy metal contamination at Douthat and Beaver Creek.