Abstract

Monoculture plantations of exotic Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is a widespread practice which reduces richness and abundance of native species. The presence of shrub vegetation in mature pine plantations confers structural complexity, enabling the presence of native wildlife, and potentially mitigating the impacts of these plantations. However, little is known about the effect of shrub cover in young pine plantations after clearcutting. We assessed if shrub vegetation cover contributes to enhancing habitat quality for small mammals by assessing the abundance and composition of small mammal assemblages in young pine plantations (15 years), and in the native temperate forest in central Chile. We found that a high development of shrub vegetation in young pine plantation increased both the abundance of small mammals, and the similarity of small mammal assemblages among habitat types. These findings support maintaining developed shrub vegetation in Monterrey pine plantations as a conservation strategy that could help reduce the negative impact of this monoculture and the impact of clearcutting.