Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Are the closed landfills recovered habitats for small rodents? A case study in a riparian site, Buenos Aires, Argentina

  • Published:
Urban Ecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The establishment of landfills in urban areas leads to extensive disturbances. Their development after landfill closure depends on the characteristics of the soil cover, the surrounding communities and the dispersal of plants and animals. This study was carried out in a landfill closed in 2004, surrounded by an urban area, freshwater marshes and a riparian forest. The aim of this study was to determine the role that the closed landfill may play in maintaining rodent communities typical of this zone and its relation to characteristics of the sites. Four rodent and plant samplings were carried out from December 2005 to September 2006 at five sites inside the landfill: three filled cells and two areas of the riparian margin. We recorded a total of 433 individual rodents. The rodent community of the closed landfill included species typical of rural, riparian and rural habitats: Akodon azarae (358), Oligoryzomys flavescens (32), Deltamys kempi (14), Rattus rattus (14), Cavia aperea (11) and Scapteromys aquaticus (4). Rodent species composition varied among sites, but A. azarae was usually the dominant species. We found a rich rodent community mostly composed of wild species. The relictual riparian margin may have served as a major refuge for native rodent community while the landfill was in operation, and after closure it possibly acted as a source for some species to colonize the covered cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Atkeson TD, Johnson AS (1979) Succession of small mammals on pine plantations in the Georgia piedmont. A. Midl Nat 101:385–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bilenca DN, Kravetz FO (1995) Patrones de abundancia relativa en ensambles de pequeños roedores de la región pampeana. Ecol Austral 5:21–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilenca DN, Kravetz FO (1998) Seasonal changes in microhabitat use and niche overlap between Akodon azarae and Calomys laucha (Rodentia, Muridae) in agroecosystems of central Argentina. Stud Neotrop Fauna Environ 33:1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonaventura SM, Kravetz FO (1984) Relación roedor-vegetación: estudio preliminar. Rev Mus Argent Cienc Nat Bernardino Rivadavia Inst Nac Invest Cienc Nat, Ecol 46:445–451

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonaventura SM, Bellocq MI, Kravetz FO (1988) Selección de hábitat por roedores en campos de cultivo. Un estudio experimental. Physis 46:61–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonaventura SM, Piantanida MJ, Gurini L, Sánchez Lopez MI (1991) Habitat selection in population of cricetine rodents in the region Delta (Argentina). Mammalia 55:339–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonaventura SM, Kravetz FO, Suarez OV (1992) The relationship between food availavility, space use and territoriality in Akodon azarae (Rodentia, cricetidae). Mammalia 56:407–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonaventura SM, Pancoto V, Madanes N, Vicari R (2003) Microhabitat use and density of sigmodontine rodents in Spartina densiflora freshwater marshes, Argentina. Mammalia 67:367–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briani DC, Palma ART, Vieira EM, Henriques RPB (2004) Post-fire succession of small mammals in the Cerrado of central Brazil. Biodivers Conserv 13:1023–1037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busch M, Kravetz FO (1992) Competitive interactions among rodents (Akodon azarae, Calomys laucha, Calomys musculinus and Oligoryzomys flavescens) in two habitat system I. Spatial and numerical relationships. Mammalia 56:407–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busch M, Miño M, Dadon J, Hodara K (2001) Habitat selection by Akodon azarae and Calomys laucha (Rodentia, Muridae) in pampean agroecosystems. Mammalia 65:29–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavia R (2006) Los roedores de la ciudad de Buenos Aires: un estudio orientado al control. PhD Thesis. Buenos Aires University

  • Chan YSG, Chu LM, Wong MH (1997) Influence of landfill factors on plants and soil fauna-an ecological perspective. Environ Pollut 97:39–44

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Churchfield S, Hollier J, Brown VK (1997) Community structure and habitat use of small mammals in grasslands of different successional age. J Zool 242:519–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coto H (1997) Biología y control de ratas sinantropicas. Editorial abierta, Buenos Aires

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawley MJ (1993) GLIM for ecologists. Methods in ecology series. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Elia G, Pardiñas UF (2004) Systematics of argentinean, Paraguayan, and uruguayan swamp rats of the genus Scapteromys (Rodentia, Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae). J Mammal 85:897–910

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Fadel M, Zeinati M, El-Jisr K, Jamali D (2001) Industrial-waste management in developing countries: The case of Lebanon. J Environ Manage 61: 281-300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira SM, van Aarde RJ (2000) Maintaining diversity through intermediate disturbances: evidence from rodents colonizing rehabilitating coastal dunes. Afr J Ecol 38:286–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foley JA, DeFries R, Asner GP, Barford C, Bonan G, Carpenter SR, Chapin FS, Coe MT, Daily GC, Gibbs HK, Helkowski JH, Holloway T, Howard EA, Kucharik CJ, Monfreda C, Patz JA, Prentice IC, Ramankutty N, Snyder PK (2005) Global consequences of land use. Science 309:70–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox BJ (1982) Fire and mammalian secondary succession in an Australian coastal heath. Ecology 63:1332–1341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox BJ (1990) Changes in the structure of mammal communities over successional time scales. Oikos 59:321–329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox BJ, Taylor JE, Thompson PT (2003) Experimental manipulation of habitat structure: a retrogression of the small mammal succession. J Anim Ecol 72:927–940

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabrey SW (1997) Birds and small mammal abundance at four types of waste-management facilities in Northeast Ohio. Landsc Urban Plan 37:223–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez Villafañe IE, Miño M, Cavia R, Hodara K, Courtalón O, Suárez O, Busch M (2005) Roedores. Guía de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Editorial LOLA, Buenos Aires

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez EM, Pardiñas UF (2000) Deltamys kempi. Mamm Species 711:1–4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirth HF (1959) Small mammals in old field succession. Ecology 40:417–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Insightful C (2002) S-plus, 6.1 Proffesional. Seattle

  • Kim KD, Lee EJ (2005) Potential tree species for use in the restoration of unsanitary landfills. Environ Mange 36: 1-14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kravetz FO, Bellocq M, Busch M, Bonaventura SM, Monjeau A (1987) Efecto de la aplicación de un anticoagulante sobre la comunidad en campos de cultivo. An Mus de Hist Nat Valparaíso 18:153–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Krebs CJ (1978) Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance, 2nd edn. Harper and Row Publishers, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lanfranco JW, Marlats R, Baridon E (1999) Vertedero de residuos sólidos urbanos: Pedogénesis comparada entre sitios de una plantación de Eucalyptus camadulensis Dehnh. y de vegetación herbácea naturalizada. Investig Agrar Sist Recur For 8:293–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Lareschi M, Nava S, Cichino AC (2004) Presencia de Amblyopinodes gahani gahani (Fauvel, 1901) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Ambliopininae) en localidades ribereñas de la Argentina. Parasitología latinoamericana 59:72–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Litvaitis JA, Titus K, Anderson EM (1994) Mesuring vertebrate use of terrestrial habitats and foods. In: Bookhout TA (ed) Research and management techniques for wildlife and habitats. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda

    Google Scholar 

  • Luniak M (2004) Synurbization—adaptation of animal wildlife to urban development. In: Shaw WW, Harris LK, Vandruff L (eds) Proceedings of the 4th international symposium on urban wildlife conservation. Tucson, Arizona

  • MacMahon JA (1981) Successional processes: comparison among biomes with special references to probable roles of and influences on animals. In: West DC, Shugart HH, Botkin DB (eds) Forest succession. Concepts and applications. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Manly B (1997) Randomization, Boostrap and Monte Carlo methods in biology (2nd ed.), Boca Ratón Fl: Chapman and Hall.

  • Marlats R, Lanfranco JW, Giannoni JL, Giraldes J, Bossio D (2004) Rellenos sanitarios: rehabilitación con recursos fitogenéticos naturalizados. Ing Sanit Ambient 72:39–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Mateucci SD, Morello J, Rodríguez A, Buzai GD, Baxendale C (1999) El crecimiento de la metrópoli y los cambios de biodiversidad: el caso de Buenos Aires. In: Mateucci SD, Solbrig OT, Morillo J, Halffter G (eds) Biodiversidad y uso de la tierra. Conceptos y ejemplos de Latinoamérica. Eudeba, Buenos Aires

    Google Scholar 

  • McCullagh P, Nelder JA (1989) Generalized linear models, 2nd edn. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills JN, Ellis BA, McKee KT, Maiztegui JI, Childs JE (1991) Habitat associations and relative densities of rodent populations in cultivated areas of central Argentina. J Mammal 72:470–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miño MH, Cavia R, Gómez Villafañe I, Bilenca DN, Cittadino EA, Busch M (2001) Estructura y diversidad de dos comunidades de pequeños roedores en agroecosistemas de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Boletín de la Sociedad Biologica de Concepción de Chile 72:67–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Misgav A, Perl N, Avnimelech Y (2001) Selecting a compatible open space use for a closed landfill site. Landsc Urban Plan 55:95–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nava S, Lareschi M, Voglino D (2003) Interrelationship between Ectoparasites and Wild Rodents from Northestern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 98:45–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls AO (1991) Examples of the use of Generalised Linear Models in Analysis of Survey Data for Conservation Evaluation. In: Margules CR, Austin MP (eds) Nature conservation: Costs effective biological surveys and data analysis. CSIRO Australia, East Melbourne, pp 54–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson PG (1959) Small mammals and old field succession on the piedmont of New Jersey. Ecology 40:249–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pielou EC (ed) (1984) The interpretation of ecological data: a primer on classification and ordination. John Wiley Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Rathke D, Bröring U (2005) Colonization of post-mining landscapes by shrews and rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia, Soricomorpha). Ecol Eng 24:149–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson GR, Handel SN, Schmalhofer VR (1992) Survival, reproduction, and recruitment of woody plants after 14 years on a reforested landfill. Environ Manag 16: 265-271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez López MI (1998) Factores que limitan la abundancia de los roedores múridos en el delta del Paraná. PhD Thesis. Buenos Aires University

  • Savard JPL, Clergeau P, Mennechez G (2000) Biodiversity concepts and urban ecosystems. Landsc Urban Plan 48:131–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweiger EW, Diffendorfer JD, Holt RD, Pierotti R, Gaines MS (2000) The interaction of habitat fragmentation, plant, and small mammal succession in an old field. Ecol Monogr 70:383–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smyth CG, Royle SA (2000) Urban landslide hazards: incidence and causative factors in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Appl Geogr 20:95–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tchobanoglus G, Theisen H, Vigil SA (1994) Gestión integral de Residuos sólidos. McGraw – Hill, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  • Trotter DH, Cooke JA (2005) Influence of landfill gas on the microdistribution of grass establishment through natural colonization. Environ Mange 35: 303-310.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Ommeron R, Helmstetter A (2004) Vertebrate wildlife and habitat relationships in an urban park setting: Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona. In: Shaw WW, Harris, LK, Vandruff L (eds) Proceedings of the 4th international symposium on urban wildlife conservation. Tucson, Arizona, pp 210–221

  • Wong MH (1988) Soil and plant characteristics of landfill sites near Merseyside, UK. Environ Manage12: 491–499.

  • Young CH, Jarvis PJ (2001) Assessing the structural heterogeneity of urban areas: an example from the Black Country (UK). Urban Ecosyst 5:49–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar J (1996) Biostatistical annalysis, 3rd edn. Prentice-Hall, United Stated of América, 662 pags

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Regino Cavia for his useful comments which helped to improve the manuscript. This work was financially supported by Coordinación Ecológica Área Metropolitana Sociedad del Estado and Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Ecología de Poblaciones, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria. Pab. II (C1428EHA). 4° piso. Laboratorio 63, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Florencia Carballido, Pablo Arístide, María Busch, Emilio A. Cittadino & Isabel E. Gómez Villafañe

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917 (C1033AAJ), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Busch & Isabel E. Gómez Villafañe

  3. Coordinación Ecológica Área Metropolitana Sociedad del Estado (CEAMSE), Av. Amancio Alcorta 3000 (C1437HTR), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Emilio A. Cittadino

Authors
  1. María Florencia Carballido
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pablo Arístide
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. María Busch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Emilio A. Cittadino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Isabel E. Gómez Villafañe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isabel E. Gómez Villafañe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Carballido, M.F., Arístide, P., Busch, M. et al. Are the closed landfills recovered habitats for small rodents? A case study in a riparian site, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Urban Ecosyst 14, 699–710 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-011-0167-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-011-0167-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation