Small Mammal Population Dynamics: Prairie Versus Forest Habitats

Abstract

Small mammals of North America still have uncertain distribution factors, and abundance of these mammals need further investigation. Studying small mammal interactions are very important when pertaining to the general public mainly due to their herbaceous diet that feed on our crops, and are also hosts for parasites that transmit diseases to other larger animals. Six different prairie sites were chosen, along with six different forest sites to get a well understanding of which specie prefers certain habitats. With the use of Russian, Longworth, and Sherman traps; 144 specimens captured, eleven different species were found from all sites, and only few were found within both the prairie and forest habitats. Perymiscus (PEXX) had a greater frequency in the forest, than in the prairie (f= .045, f=.0018), Spermipholus tridecumlineanus (SPTR) made up most of the population found in the Prairie; however Myotis gapperi (MYGA) was only found in the forests. Further investigation could give us insight on why these species prefer these habitats.