Assessing Small Mammal Community Assemblages and PopulationDynamics across Multiple Geographic Scales on the Canadian Prairies

Small mammals (mice and voles) are a vital component of most terrestrial

ecosystems; however, their communities have not been studied on large geographic scales

because of limits imposed by conventional sampling methods (i.e., trapping). This project will

take advantage of great-horned and burrowing owls as efficient surveyors of small mammal

comunities. Specifically, small mammal community composition analyses will be based on

50,000 small mammals identified in owl pellets collected from sites spanning 380,000 km’ of

southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Data on such a large scale would be completely

unattainable through traditional trapping methods. The objectives of the project include (a)

understanding how variation in habitat affects small mammal communities; (b) identifying

relationships between small mammal species composition and human land use; and (c)

understanding changes in small mammal communities over time. This research will offer

unprecedented insight into environmental factors affecting small mammal distribution and

abundance.

Faculty Supervisor:

Christopher Somers

Student:

Partner:

Royal Saskatchewan Museum

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Arts, entertainment and recreation

University:

University of Regina

Program:

Accelerate

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