Browsing by Author "Sevdy, Kim"
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Item Differences in Animal Species between Forested Habitats and Prairie Habitats(2010-12-06) Sevdy, KimUnderstanding the type of habitats that certain species need is critical to understanding how they interact with their environments. Some species prefer prairie habitats rather than forested habitats. This could be attributed to their daily diet, where they like to live, or even how their bodies are built to move in the environment. By using the Lincoln-Peterson method, we are able to identify some of the species that prefer either the forest or the prairie. Our study began with the class dividing up into six different groups and each taking a certain habitat type. We set 55 traps at each site; 45 of those traps were Shermans, five were Longworths, and five were Russians. There were 5 lines with 10 markers in each line. Nine shermans were set in each line with one marker containing a longworth and a russian. Either a select few from the class or the entire class checked these traps in the morning for three days. Data was recorded from the different animals that were found within the traps for further analysis.Item The Effects of Geomys bursarius Mound Building on Vegetation Diversity in Prairies(2010-11-30) Dexter, Sarah; Kartak, Jacob; Lindsay, Erik; Sevdy, KimIn June of 2009, in a dry prairie approximately 2 miles north of Itasca State Park in North-central Minnesota, we found that the building of mounds by Geomys bursarius significantly alters vegetation diversity. We collected our data by setting up a total of 1,200 meters of transects, which gave us an estimation of G. bursarius mounds. Additionally, we counted the species richness on 60 randomly selected mounds in our study area; we compared these to a control that lay within approximately 5 meters from the mound counted. Our data was also compared to data from previous years taken from the same area. Along with these studies we chose areas that exhibited unique vegetation and determined if their presence is linked to a disturbance to the prairie compliments of the G. bursarius. The results we found were statistically significant, proving the Geomys bursarius has great effects on prairie ecosystems.