Browsing by Author "Marklevits, Katrina"

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    Comparison of species diversity of small mammals in forest and prairie habitats
    (2010-03-10) Kurpiewski, Andrew; Marklevits, Katrina; Treiber, Erin
    This study was conducted to compare the small mammal species diversity within forest and prairie habitats. Data were collected over three days at each habitat and at four separate grid locations within those habitats. Overall, eight different species were found with Peromyscus spp. being the most abundant in the forest habitat and Spermophilus tridecemlineatus the most abundant in the prairie habitat. Seven distinct species were found in the forest habitat, whereas five distinct species were found in the prairie habitat. The data were not sufficient to conclude that the forest habitat had greater species diversity and amount of captured small mammals than the prairie habitat.
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    Plains Pocket Gophers (Geomys bursarius) Increase Plant Diversity on Gopher Mounds
    (2010-03-10) Kurpiewski, Andrew; Marklevits, Katrina; Treiber, Erin
    The plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) is a fossorial rodent that digs an extensive burrow which creates mounds of dirt on the surface. This study examines the effects of these mounds on the plant diversity of an abandoned agricultural field by a series of different measurements. These include the percentage of distinct vegetation patches associated with mounds, percent of 20 meter transects crossing mounds, and number of plant species on mounds compared to a nearby control area. We found that 14.64 % of the field was covered by gopher mounds. By comparing our mean plant diversity data with the Itasca Biological Station’s similar previous studies, we found a significant difference in the short term plant diversity of gopher mounds.