Full metadata
Title
The effects of artificial water sources on small mammal communities
Description
Modified and artificial water sources can be used as a management tool for game and non-game wildlife species. State, federal, and private agencies allocate significant resources to install and maintain artificial water sources (AWS) annually. Capture mark recapture methods were used to sample small mammal communities in the vicinity of five AWS and five paired control sites (treatments) in the surrounding Sonoran desert from October 2011 to May 2012. I measured plant species richness, density, and percent cover in the spring of 2012. A Multi-response Permutation Procedure was used to identify differences in small mammal community abundance, biomass, and species richness by season and treatment. I used Principle Component Analysis to reduce 11 habitat characteristics to five habitat factors. I related rodent occurrence to habitat characteristics using multiple and logistic regression. A total of 370 individual mammals representing three genera and eight species of rodents were captured across 4800 trap nights. Desert pocket mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus) was the most common species in both seasons and treatments. Whereas rodent community abundance, biomass, and richness were similar between seasons, community variables of AWS were greater than CS. Rodent diversity was similar between treatments. Desert pocket mouse abundance and biomass were twice as high at AWS when compared to controls. Biomass of white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) was five times greater at AWS. Habitat characteristics were similar between treatments. Neither presence of water nor distance to water explained substantial habitat variation. Occurrence of rodent species was associated with habitat characteristics. Desert rodent communities are adapted for arid environments (i.e. Heteromyids) and are not dependent on "free water". Higher abundances of desert pocket mouse at AWS were most likely related to increased disturbance and debris and not the presence of water. The results of this study and previous studies suggest that more investigation is needed and that short term studies may not be able to detect interactions (if any) between AWS and desert small mammal communities.
Date Created
2013
Contributors
- Switalski, Aaron (Author)
- Bateman, Heather L (Thesis advisor)
- Miller, William (Committee member)
- Alford, Eddie (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
- Biology
- Animal sciences
- Ecology
- Abundance
- artificial water sources
- Habitat
- Heteromyidae
- small mammals
- Sonoran Desert
- Desert ecology
- Rodents--Effect of habitat modification on.
- Rodents
- Rodents--Water requirements.
- Rodents
- Desert animals--Effect of habitat modification on.
- Desert animals
- Desert animals--Water requirements.
- Desert animals
Resource Type
Extent
viii, 50 p. : ill. (some col.), 1 col. map
Language
eng
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.17884
Statement of Responsibility
by Aaron Switalski
Description Source
Retrieved on Nov. 15, 2013
Level of coding
full
Note
thesis
Partial requirement for: M.S., Arizona State University, 2013
Field of study: Applied biological sciences
System Created
- 2013-07-12 06:21:48
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:41:51
- 3 years 3 months ago
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