Author : Ilianna Eden Anise
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 95 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (12 download)
Book Synopsis White-tailed Deer and Small Mammal Population Dynamics Over Time by : Ilianna Eden Anise
Download or read book White-tailed Deer and Small Mammal Population Dynamics Over Time written by Ilianna Eden Anise and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My research contributed to a long-term study of small mammal and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population dynamics over time in Morris County, specifically at Drew University and the Great Swamp Watershed Association. I used live trapping to gather data on small mammal populations and a fecal pellet index (FPI) and visual census to assess the white-tailed deer population. Overall, I was interested in how the population dynamics change over time, independently and interacting with each other. I also started weighing small mammals in an attempt to use weight to clarify small mammal age class. I found that changes occurred in four target mammal species (raccoon, Peromyscus spp., eastern chipmunk, and eastern gray squirrel) over time. Specifically, I noticed an increase in raccoon, squirrel, and Peromyscus spp. numbers but a decrease in chipmunk population from 2015-2016. The decrease in chipmunks is a result of older individuals not surviving whereas squirrel numbers increased due to their younger reproducing population. Similarly, the raccoon population had the highest number captured in 2016 compared to previous years, most likely caused by increased reproduction and a greater number of juveniles. In analyzing relationships between small mammal populations, my study documented a strong relationship between the squirrel and chipmunk populations. I found that over time, chipmunks and squirrels displayed a strong negative relationship in a lagged Pearson correlation and in 2016, I determined that either squirrel or chipmunk activity dominates the trapping grids at Drew University. Moreover, I found that squirrel activity was significantly higher at the Hepburn Woods site than at the President's House or the Zuck Arboretum sites, when comparing squirrel activity among Drew sites. My research displayed some interesting findings regarding small mammal weight measurements. On average, Drew University chipmunks and squirrels weighed more than their respective captures at the Great Swamp Watershed Association's sites. I was able to use weight as an indicator of determined age class in chipmunks and squirrels. I found no significant difference in adult weight based on sex. In looking at the impact of deer exclosures on small mammal activity, I found no significant impact from the deer exclosure on small mammal activity. My study of the white-tailed deer population at Drew University using the fecal pellet index and visual census indicated interesting shifts in the population over time. Of note, there was a marked decline in the population due to epizootic hemorrhagic disease in 2011. However, the population completely recovered in 3-4 years in 2015. By 2016, the population exhibited a crash, most likely due to an overshoot in carrying capacity. The visual census provided a conservative assessment of the age and sex distribution of the deer population. The visual census also indicated that the Drew University population exceeded carrying capacity in 2015, according to Tilghman (1989). The present findings of this thesis display the importance of long-term research with small mammal and white-tailed deer populations. Future research will continue to be essential in documenting how small mammal and white-tailed deer population dynamics change overtime.
