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Browsing by Subject "mammal"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12
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    Abundance and Diversity of Small Mammals Found in Forest Habitat Compared with Prairie Habitat
    (2010-03-10) Blake, Amy; Shaughnessy, Lorraine; Strelow, Desiree
    Many factors can influence the biodiversity in a particular habitat. In this study, we looked at the biodiversity of small mammals in four forested habitats and four prairie habitats. We predicted that heterogeneous habitats would be more diverse, while disturbed areas would be less diverse. We set up a 5 x 10 trap-grid in each of the eight habitats, using a combination of Sherman, Russian, and Longworth traps. We checked traps in the forest habitats once a day for three consecutive days and traps in the prairie habitats twice a day for three consecutive days. Results indicate that biodiversity of small mammals is greater in most of the forested sites than in prairie sites. We also observed that the red-backed vole and the deer mouse were present in both forest and prairie habitat while other species found were only common in prairie or forest.
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    Comparison of Diversity of Small Mammals In and Around Itasca State Park Inside Forested and Prairie Areas
    (2010-03-10) Kraft, Tanner
    In a series of three trap nights, we collected data from trapped small mammals in a group of eight separate grids in stands of pine, aspen, bog, oak savannah, and burned prairie. The purpose of these trappings was to determine the abundance and diversity of small mammals in each of the eight trapping stations, and then compare these data to determine which, if any, are the more diverse areas in and around Itasca State Park. Many factors could be at play with the distribution and diversity of these small mammals, including edge effect, differential trappability, and most notably, habitat. The main data I used to compare diversity were number of species, total number of mammals, and recapture percentage.
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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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    Diversity of small mammal communities in northern Minnesota
    (2010-03-01) Sinton, Christopher J.
    In examining the various communities of small mammals in the state of Minnesota, questions of the diversity of these communities and the habitat preferences of the constituent animals are often of the most concern. Such a question is the basis of this research. In an attempt to assess the impact of habitat on the diversity of small mammal communities in northern Minnesota, multiple habitats were compared and the diversity of the two sites compared.
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    Diversity of Small Mammals Between Itasca State Park and Agaissez Sand Dunes
    (2010-03-10) Spohr, Bill
    Small mammal diversity can vary over different habitats. In this study, data collected from forest and prairie sites was used to determine diversity between the two. The results show that small mammal diversity in a forest setting is greater than that of a prairie setting.
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    Effect of the Plains Pocket Gopher, Geomys bursarius, on the Vegetation of a Northern Minnesota Meadow
    (2010-03-10) Shaughnessy, Lorraine; Spohr, Bill; Puschinsky, Eric
    The fossorial plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius, creates mounds of dirt when digging its tunnels. Mounds tend to be associated with patches of vegetation distinct from surrounding areas. Data were collected and analyzed to determine the effects of gopher mounds on vegetation in a northern Minnesota meadow. Results indicate that distinct patches of vegetation are associated with gopher mounds, and there is a difference between the number of plant species growing on abandoned gopher mounds and control areas. Distinct patches could be a result of either nutrient cycling caused by the displacement of soil or invasion of plants not preferred by the herbivorous plains pocket gopher.
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    Geomys bursarius: Vegetation Variation on Gopher Mounds within a Northern Minnesota Vole Field
    (2010-03-10) Ihnken, Matthew; Korbmacher, Michelle; Sinton, Christopher
    The plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) lives throughout the southern 2/3rds of Minnesota. The pocket gopher is known for turning up soil and digging extensive tunnels that can aerate soils. Our study site is located near the north entrance of Itasca State Park in Northern Minnesota. The goal of our study was to determine if there were distinct vegetation patches associated with the gopher mounds and if plant diversity increased around and on mounds. We used transects to sample the field for vegetation patches and the locations of old, new, and abandoned gopher mounds. We then ran a series of test to determine whether or not there was any correlation between gopher mounds and plant diversity, and then distinct vegetation patches. We determined that patches of vegetation were most likely associated with gopher mounds, and that species diversity increased on and around mounds.
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    Impacts of Geomys Bursarius on vegetation patterns found in an old field in Clearwater County, MN
    (2010-03-10) Blake, Amy; Strelow, Desiree; Kraft, Tanner
    The effects of the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) mound building on plant species diversity were investigated in an old field in June 2008. Past studies have shown conflicting results that mound building negatively impacts plant species diversity or that mound building positively impacts plant species diversity. To conduct our study we compared vegetation on new mounds, abandoned mounds, old mounds, and control areas with no mounds. Our results support our hypothesis that G.bursarius activity in an old field increases plant species richness. It also agrees with historical studies that gopher mound building can generate a prairie ecosystem in disturbed areas and increase plant heterogeneity present.
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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.
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    Small Mammal Diversity of four differing habitat types in Itasca State Park and Agassiz Dunes
    (2010-03-10) Ihnken, Matthew
    In the summer of 2008 we set out to sample the diversity of small mammals in two differing ecosystems in Itasca State Park and Agassiz Dunes. In Itasca we picked 4 different habitat types; Burnt Pine, Red Pine, Aspen, and Bog. Similarly, at Agassiz Dunes we selected Burnt Priarie near a road, Prairie adjacent to Aspen, burnt prairie way from a road, and Oak Savannah. In Itasca and Agassiz Dunes we sampled each habitat type concurrently for 3 days. The results of which are the basis of this paper here.
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    Small Mammal Diversity: Around Itasca State Park and Agassiz Prairie Habitats
    (2010-03-10) Korbmacher, Michelle
    We compared the small mammal diversity of a forest and a prairie biome. An aspen forest, red pine forest, a burnt area, and a bog were studied in Itasca State Park and in Agassiz we studied burnt prairie both by a road and away from it, an oak prairie, and an aspen prairie. Grids were set up to live trap using Sherman, Longworth, and Russian traps for three trap nights in each biome. A total of 85 small mammals were captured. Peromyscus (deer and white-footed mouse) was consistently found in both biomes within their burnt areas. We concluded that the eastern chipmunk preferred a forest environment and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel preferred the prairie to the forest.
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    Species Diversity among Small Mammals in Itasca State Park and Agassi Sand Dunes of Minnesota
    (2010-03-10) Puschinsky, Eric
    This study compared species caught in Itasca State Park and the Agassi Sand Dunes of Northern Minnesota. Traps were set for 1320 and caught 61 unique individuals of eight distinct species. We found four species living in both the forest and prairie.