HOUSE CONSTRUCTION BY THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WOODRAT (NEOTOMA-MICROPUS) IN SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA

House construction by Neotoma micropus was examined on a site in Harmo n County, Oklahoma. Ten houses were monitored for changes in areal ext ent, height, and volume between March 1989 and January 1990. Total hou se volume and volumes of four quadrants of each house were compared. A ll houses had significant differences in volume among quadrants by sea son but no patterns could be discerned. Two houses showed a significan t difference in total volume among seasons. Female woodrats appeared t o be more sedentary because they were recaptured at the same house mor e frequently and at more houses than males. Relative percent cover con tributed by vegetation type near each house was calculated by season, with herbaceous plants providing the most cover, followed by cacti and trees. Significantly more herbaceous plants, sticks, and cattle dung were added to houses in the fall as compared to other seasons. Cacti r epresented over half of the material used in construction and sticks a pproximately one quarter, with lesser amounts of herbaceous material a nd cattle dung. Comparisons of component volumes with field measuremen ts indicated that dead air space provided a significant component of t otal house volume. Variation in air and soil temperatures were found t o be significantly larger than for the internal house temperatures. No significant relationships were found between total house volume and n est temperature.