LONG-TERM STUDY OF ABUNDANCE OF THE HISPID COTTON RAT IN NATIVE TALLGRASS PRAIRIE

We studied patterns of and factors influencing abundance of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in tallgrass prairie habitats from autumn 1981 to spring 2001 at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. Abundance of cotton rats was low during autumn (X̄ = 0.57 individuals/trapline) and extrem...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 2005-08, Vol.86 (4), p.670-676
Main Authors: Rehmeier, Ryan L., Kaufman, Glennis A., Kaufman, Donald W., McMillan, Brock R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Autumn
Biological and medical sciences
FEATURE ARTICLES
fire
Fires
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitats
Highlands
hispid cotton rat
Kansas
Lowlands
Mammalia
Mammalogy
Mammals
Prairies
Rats
Rodents
Sigmodon hispidus
spatial variation
Spring
Summer
tallgrass prairie
Tallgrass prairies
temporal variation
topography
Vertebrata
Winter
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Summary:We studied patterns of and factors influencing abundance of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in tallgrass prairie habitats from autumn 1981 to spring 2001 at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas. Abundance of cotton rats was low during autumn (X̄ = 0.57 individuals/trapline) and extremely low in spring (X̄ = 0.04 individuals/trapline). Autumn abundance varied widely in 20 years (range: 0.00–2.50 individuals/trapline) and among 14 sites (0.05–1.35 individuals/trapline). Spring prairie fires had a positive influence on cotton rats during the 1st (X̄ = 0.8 individuals/trapline) and 2nd autumns (X̄ = 1.0 individuals/trapline), but not during the 3rd or later autumns (X̄ = 0.2 individuals/trapline). Cotton rats were associated strongly with lowland prairie relative to breaks and upland prairie. Autumn abundance was correlated positively with previous winter (December–February) average maximum temperature, but was not correlated with previous winter precipitation, summer (June–August) average maximum temperature, summer precipitation, or aboveground net primary productivity. Although previous winter maximum temperature accounted for only 32% of interautumn variation in abundance, winter harshness appears to be the major factor driving temporal variation in autumn abundance of hispid cotton rats.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
DOI:10.1644/1545-1542%282005%29086%5B0670%3ALSOAOT%5D2.0.CO%3B2