MARK-RECAPTURE VS SIMULATED REMOVAL TRAPPING FOR ASSESSING TEMPORAL PATTERNS IN ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES - AN EXAMPLE USING COCCIDIAN PARASITES OF 2 SPECIES OF RODENTS

Most studies which discuss temporal patterns of parasite infections ar e based on information from hosts killed at different times. Using dat a from 202 Merriam's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami) in a mark-reca pture study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, and 308 adult Townsend's ground squirrels (Spermophilus townsendii) from a mark-recapture study at the Snake River Birds of Prey Area, Idaho, w e show that (1) repeated removals may result in sample sizes that are too small to address questions about temporal patterns in prevalence o f infection or parasite community size; (2) repeated removals may caus e immigration rates high enough to mask or alter the patterns of inter est, and (3) mark-recapture trapping can circumvent these problems.