Browsing by Author "Featherstone, Bryan"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Prairie and Forest Rodent Diversity
    (2011-02-09) Featherstone, Bryan
    Minnesota has three biomes; deciduous, coniferous and prairie. Itasca State Park, Located in the NW part of Minnesota has both deciduous and coniferous biomes while being about an hour away from the prairie biome. Each biome has unique vegetation which supports a diversity of rodents. Rodents play an important role in an ecosystem by creating diversity, eating vegetation, and supporting other animals by giving them nutrients. Our study consists of mark recapture methods located in each of the three biomes. Our objective for this study is to compare the biomes in their diversity and amount of individuals. Two questions were asked in this study: (1) Which biome has more species diversity and (2) which biome has more individuals. I hypothesized that the deciduous and coniferous biomes would have more species diversity and individuals because these biomes have more cover to protect the rodents and the forest would provide quality food. In the prairie the rodents would be prone to predators and would have a difficult time finding food.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Study the Effects of Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) Mound Building on Vegetation
    (2011-02-09) Nosal, Amanda; Featherstone, Bryan; Vang, Na
    We explored qualitative and quantitative approaches to evaluate the impact of the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) mounds on the plant community. We hypothesized that plant species richness would be higher on mounds than surrounding areas and that the mounds would create significant impacts on plant diversity. We categorized mounds as ―new,‖ ―abandoned,‖ or ―old,‖ measured the width of the abandoned mounds, and noted the different plant species present on the mounds and the control plots. Our results indicated that species richness is significantly increased on and near gopher mounds, and overall, gopher mounds significantly alter local plant community. This study demonstrates that the impacts of Geomys bursarius activities are just as critical as its role in the trophic web.