Browsing by Author "Maloney, Connor"

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    Diversity Within Small Mammal Communities of Forested Sites Around Itasca State Park and Nearby Prairie Sites
    (2011-02-09) Maloney, Connor
    After many days of trapping small rodents throughout various forest and prairie areas near Itasca State Park, it was discovered that the amount of species within these communities was strikingly similar. The forested areas were broken down into five different locations while the prairie was broken down into six. This was done to see whether or not diverse habitat composition effects the populations of small mammals. My hypothesis was that the forest habitat would contain a significantly greater diversity of species because of the more apparent differences in habitat structure. This was based on my belief that this wide variety of habitats provide for a greater occurrence of species adaptation and therefore a greater diversity.
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    The Effects of the Plains Pocket Gopher on Plant Diversity
    (2011-02-09) Bischoff, Karl; Hekrdle, Winnona M.; Maloney, Connor
    The Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) plays a significant role in the prairie ecosystem. Researchers have identified direct and indirect effects of their activity on the plant communities in which they reside. Surveys of gopher activity and plant diversity were conducted in an experimental plot established 9 km NW of Lake Itasca, Minnesota USA. The purpose was to determine the impacts these fossorial mammals were having on the plant community on site. Statistical analysis indicated a correlation between distinct vegetation patches and the presence of gopher mounds. The short and long term effects of gopher activity include the availability of light and nutrients as well as active browsing of woody vegetation, respectively. Our findings bolster the growing body of literature on the subject, and provide further evidence that fossorial mammals may be considered the “ecosystem engineers” of the prairie biome.