Date of Graduation

5-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Krementz, David G.

Committee Member

Stephenson, Steven L.

Second Committee Member

Han, Junhee

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.

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