Browsing by Author "Etheridge, Robert"

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    DIVERSITY WITHIN SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITIES OF FORESTED SITES AROUND ITASCA STATE PARK AND NEARBY PRAIRIE SITES
    (2011-02-09) Etheridge, Robert
    The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity of small mammals found within various forest habitats within or near Itasca State Park and to compare and contrast those communities with prairie sites. I hypothesized that the greatest amount of species diversity would be experienced in the prairie habitat. Data was collected through a group effort of the students of Field Studies in Mammalogy (Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities). All captured small mammals were identified, individually marked and released at the point of capture. The collected data was pooled into a single data set for analysis. Peromyscus, referring to either maniculatus or leucopus, were found at both prairie and forest sites while other species were found at one or the other (mutually exclusive). There were a total of seven species captured between the six forest sites and a total of ten species for the six prairie sites. Concurrent with my predictions, the prairie habitat exhibited the greatest level of small mammal diversity.
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    Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Study the Effects of Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) Mound building on Vegetation
    (2011-02-09) Hughes, Curtis; Sharrow, Matthew; Etheridge, Robert
    The plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius), has been associated with higher levels of plant diversity in grassland areas. In order to test this prediction we conducted vegetative surveys on and off mound areas. We also counted and measured mounds along randomly chosen transects in order to get an idea of the amount of impacted area. Our results further supported this association by demonstrating the effects pocket gophers have on plant diversity. Higher plant diversity was found on or near mound areas versus off.