Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 83 2001 165–175
Importance of riparian habitats for small mammal and herpetofaunal communities in agricultural
landscapes of southern Québec
Charles Maisonneuve
a,∗
, Stéphanie Rioux
b
a
Société de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, Direction de la faune et des habitats, 675 René-Lévesque Est, Québec, Que., Canada G1R 5V7
b
Société de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, Direction régionale du Bas Saint-Laurent, 506 Lafontaine, PO Box 445, Rivière-du-Loup, Québec, Que., Canada G5R 3C4
Received 14 December 1999; received in revised form 18 July 2000; accepted 4 August 2000
Abstract
The presence of adequate riparian strips in agricultural landscapes is generally recognized to contribute to the reduction of the impacts of agricultural practices on the water quality of streams, to regularize water temperature and to help in the creation
of important wildlife habitats. This study aimed at determining the importance of riparian strips in agricultural landscapes of southern Québec for small mammal and herpetofaunal communities, and verifying farmers’ general belief that these habitats
become shelters for species considered as agricultural pests. Abundance, composition and diversity of communities were compared between three types of riparian strips: herbaceous, shrubby and wooded. A total of 1460 small mammals belonging
to 14 species and 329 amphibians and reptiles belonging to 11 species were captured with line trapping and drift fences. The generalist species Sorex cinereus, Zapus hudsonius, Blarina brevicauda, and Bufo americanus were abundant in all three types
of riparian strips. Peromyscus maniculatus, Sorex fumeus, Clethrionomys gapperi, and Rana pipiens were associated more closely to wooded strips, whereas Rana sylvatica was captured mostly in shrubby strips. The abundance of small mammals
and herpetofauna increased with complexity of vegetation structure. Small mammal diversity was higher in herbaceous and wooded riparian strips, whereas the herpetofaunal community was more diverse in shrubby strips. Proportion and abundance
of pest species diminished with complexity of vegetation structure, whereas insectivores increased in abundance. Maintaining woody vegetation in riparian strips should increase abundance and diversity of wildlife within agricultural landscapes where
increasing development pressure is presently contributing to the conversion of such habitats to herbaceous strips. Such a management approach should also help reducing the risk of riparian strips becoming shelters for pest species. © 2001 Elsevier
Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Agricultural landscapes; Herpetofauna; Riparian strips; Small mammals; Québec
∗
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-418-623-1650; fax: +1-418-623-0420.
E-mail address: c maisonneuveducks.ca C. Maisonneuve.
1. Introduction
Over the last few decades in most agricultural regions of the province of Québec, there was a tran-
sition from local, family subsistence farming to more industrial farming practices oriented towards regional
and national markets. The traditional dairy-oriented
0167-880901 – see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 8 8 0 9 0 0 0 0 2 5 9 - 0
166 C. Maisonneuve, S. Rioux Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 83 2001 165–175
agriculture that was previously characterized by a mo- saic of pastures, prairies and woodlots was replaced
by a more specialized agriculture aimed at large-scale production, with corn as Zea mays L. the dominant
crop in the south-west. The new agricultural practices developed for this large-scale production has led to
the expansion of cultivated areas, thus exerting an in- creasing pressure on uncultivated portions of the land.
Forests in agricultural landscapes have been reduced and fragmented in numerous small woodlots, and ri-
parian strips which often represent the only remaining corridors for wildlife between these woodlots are also
being threatened.
Riparian strips are not only recognized as impor- tant wildlife habitats for a great diversity of species
Thomas et al., 1979; Small and Johnson, 1986; De- camps et al., 1987; Naiman et al., 1993, but they also
help reduce the impacts of agricultural practices on the water quality of streams by controlling bank erosion,
and by filtering fertilizers, pesticides and sediments from adjacent crops Lowrance et al., 1985, 1986;
Brenner et al., 1991; Gilliam, 1994; Vought et al., 1994 and they maintain quality of aquatic habitats by
regularizing water temperature Karr and Schlosser, 1978. Thus, efforts to integrate the conservation
of riparian strips in the management of agricultural lands should lead to both sound agroecosystems and
environments.
However, many factors contribute to limit the value of riparian strips in agricultural landscapes of
Québec. Under the provincial Protection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral zones and Flood-
plains, a buffer strip of 3 m is required for the pro- tection of riparian areas in agricultural landscapes,
whereas 10–20 m are required in urban or forested landscapes. Moreover, the vegetation in these narrow
riparian strips is often maintained at the herbaceous stage through mowing or burning. This practice stems
from the farmers’ belief that such management re- duces the risk of riparian strips becoming shelters
for pest species birds, rodents, weeds, insects. In a recent study made for the Union des producteurs
agricoles Lamarre et al., 1993, pesticide use for weed control was even recommended within riparian
strips. This perception of riparian habitats repre- sents a major obstacle for efforts to integrate wildlife
habitat needs in the management of agricultural landscapes.
The objectives of this study were thus to determine the importance of riparian strips for small mammal and
herpetofaunal amphibians and reptiles communities in agricultural landscapes of southern Québec, and to
verify if there is a basis to farmers’ belief concerning the risk of riparian strips being used as shelters by
rodent pest species.
2. Material and methods
