Effects of a habitat boundary on small mammals associated with the white sands dune complex

The examined effects of habitat boundary on small mammals at the White Sand s dune complex in the Tularosa Basin of south-central New Mexico from 22 Ma y to 15 July 1996. The dunes that distinguish White Sands are unique. Their leading edge forms an abrupt boundary where they encroach upon adjacent de sert-basin saltbush flat. We live-trapped small mammals on the boundary bet ween and within the White Sands dunes and adjacent saltbush habitats to exa mine effects of this boundary on distribution, diversity and movement of sm all mammals. Chaetodipus penicillatus was captured most frequently within t he dunes. Dipodomys ordii tended to be captured less frequently 10 m within the saltbush habitat than elsewhere. Animal movements perpendicular to the dune boundary differed among dune and saltbush habitats for Perognathus fl avus and D. ordii even though habitats were similar in vegetative structure and supported an equivalent number of individual small mammals. A behavior al barrier is apparent between habitats along the edge of the White Sands d une boundary. There was no evidence of an edge effect at the spatial scale of our sampling plots. Characteristics of diversity and abundance normally associated with edge effect may not be highly expressed in arid ecosystems.