Date of Graduation
5-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (MS)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor/Mentor
David Krementz
Committee Member
Steven Stephenson
Second Committee Member
Junhee Han
Keywords
Arkansas, Eastern Red Cedar, Ozark, Peromyscus, Plains Harvest Mouse, Small Mammal
Abstract
Juniperus virginiana L. (Eastern Red Cedar) is a fire-intolerant tree species that has been invading and altering grassland ecosystems throughout the American Great Plains and Midwest. To see how Eastern Red Cedar encroachment affects small mammal communities, we surveyed small mammals using mark-recapture methods in Eastern Red Cedar forest and 5 other habitats common to the Ozark region. Additionally, we compared the microhabitat use of presumed juniper obligate Peromyscus attwateri J.A. Allen (Texas Mouse) and its conspecific P. leucopus Rafinesque (White-Footed Mouse). We ran over 7000 trap-nights and found that the small mammal species composition in Eastern Red Cedar was comparable to local mixed oak forests but lower than warm-season grasslands and oldfields. We encountered no small mammal species endemic to Eastern Red Cedar forest. Texas Mice were using Eastern Red Cedar sites more than oak and used areas with high vertical structure while White-Footed Mice showed a slightly increased use of areas with high litter ground cover.
Citation
Reddin, C. (2014). Small Mammal Community Associations and Habitat Use at Pea Ridge National Military Park, Benton County, Arkansas. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2354