Differences in Animal Species between Forested Habitats and Prairie Habitats

Abstract

Understanding 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.