Long-term patterns in mammalian abundance in northern portions of the Great Basin

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Bartel, Rebecca A.; Knowlton, Frederick F.; Stoddart, L. Charles

Source:

Journal of Mammalogy, American Society of Mammalogists, Volume 89, Issue 5, p.1170-1183 (2008)

Call Number:

A08BAR01IDUS

Keywords:

Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Canis latrans, Coyote, Deer Mouse, Dipodomys ordii, Great Basin pocket mouse, Least Chipmunk, Lemmiscus curtatus, Lepus californicus, northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster, Ord’s kangaroo rat, Perognathus parvus, Peromyscus maniculatus, Reithrodontomys megalotis, sagebrush vole, Tamias minimus, western harvest mouse

Abstract:

The authors collected long-term indices of mammalian abundance at two sites in the Great Basin: Curlew Valley in northern Utah and the Idaho National Laboratory in southeastern Idaho. Abundance patterns were examined for one predator, the coyote (Canis latrans), and its prey community, including 9 species of rodents and three species of lagomorphs. Results suggest cycles with a period of 10–11 years among the main prey species, Lepus californicus. Responses of C. latrans to prey fluctuations were variable among study areas, with abundance levels of coyotes remaining high during declines in prey populations in Curlew Valley. Abundance indices were generally low for all species of rodents except Peromyscus maniculatus. Although many of the rodents demonstrated consistent biannual fluctuations, multiseasonal cyclic patterns could not be statistically confirmed. Population levels of coyotes seem to reflect a combination of factors, including human harvest and abundance of both monitored species of prey and alternate prey groups.