Impacts of Broad-Scale Habitat Loss and Alteration from Deforestation and Natural Disturbances on Forest Communities

Newswise — A special section in the most recent issue of Journal of Mammalogy uses the Northern Flying Squirrel as a model organism in an in-depth look at the complete biological portrait of the northern flying squirrel and the impacts of dramatic changes in forest composition on forest communities.

Early studies showed that the Northern Flying Squirrel has an acute sensitivity to cumulative habitat disturbance due to their reliance on large trees as a means of movement. This makes the flying squirrel an ideal model species to examine the effects of deforestation as well as the environmental and ecological phenomena associated with global warming.

The papers in the special feature cover a wide spectrum of biological information, including the anatomy and evolution of the flying squirrel, its biogeography, genetic variation within and among regional populations, ecology, functional morphology, and kinetics, and the issues and challenges of conservation.

The papers included in the special feature were presented at the 86th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in June 2006.

An introduction and five papers were included in this special feature:"¢ The Northern Flying Squirrel: Biological Portrait of a Forest Specialist in Post-European Settlement North America " Winston P. Smithhttp://www.allenpress.com/pdf/MAMM 88-04-837-839.pdf "¢ A Brief History of the New World Flying Squirrels: Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Conservation Genetics " Brian S. Arbogasthttp://www.allenpress.com/pdf/MAMM 88-04-840-849.pdf "¢ Kinematics and Functional Morphology of Leaping, Landing and Branch use in Glaucomys sabrinus " John S. Scheibe, Keith E. Paskins, Shobnom Ferdous, and Danielle Birdsillhttp://www.allenpress.com/pdf/MAMM 88-04-850-861.pdf "¢ Ecology of Glaucomys sabrinus: Habitat, Demography, and Community Relations " Winston P. Smithhttp://www.allenpress.com/pdf/MAMM 88-04-862-881.pdf "¢ How to Make a Flying Squirrel: Glaucomys Anatomy in Phylogenetic Perspective " Richard W. Thorington, Jr. and Erica M. Santanahttp://www.allenpress.com/pdf/MAMM 88-04-882-896.pdf "¢ The Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus): A Conservation Challenge " Peter D. Weigl http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/MAMM 88-04-897-907.pdf

The Journal of Mammalogy is the bimonthly journal of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). For more information on the ASM or the Journal of Mammalogy, visit http://www.mammalogy.org.