Dw. Kaufman et al., Small mammals in native and anthropogenic habitats in the Lake Wilson areaof north-central Kansas, SW NATURAL, 45(1), 2000, pp. 45-60
Small mammals were sampled in woodlands, grasslands, and croplands in the L
ake Wilson region of north-central Kansas during June 1985 through December
1986. The 11 types of habitats studied were three woodlands (cottonwood, p
lanted plum-cedar, and plum thicket), four grasslands (grazed mixed-grass p
rairie, ungrazed mixed-grass prairie, planted grass, and roadside ditch), a
nd four croplands (yellow clover, fallow field, wheat field, and hay field)
. Of lj species captured, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and white
-footed mouse (P. leucopus) were the most abundant followed by thr hispid c
otton rat (Sigmodon hispidus), prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) western
harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis), Elliot's short-tailed shrew (Bla
rina hylophaga), Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii), eastern woodrat (Neo
toma floridana), hispid pocket mouse (Chaetodipus hispidus), house mouse (M
us musculus), northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster), southern
bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi), plains harvest mouse (R. montanus), thirt
een-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecamlineatus), and least shrew
(Cryptotis parva). The 11 most abundant species were distributed nonrandoml
y among the 11 habitats studied. In addition, these 11 species with the exc
eption of the cotton rat were distributed nonrandomly among the three gener
al habitat types of woodland, grassland, and cropland. The general patterns
observed were positive associations of white-footed mice and eastern woodr
ats to woodlands: northern grasshopper mice and house mice to croplands; de
er mice, prairie voles, western harl est mice, and hispid Docket mice to gr
asslands and croplands: cotton rats to habitats with lush vegetation (plant
ed plum-cedar, planted gr ass, and yellow clover); short-tailed shrews to h
abitats with well-developed plant litter layers (roadside ditches, plum thi
ckets, and yellow clover); and Ord's kangaroo rats to habitats with sandy s
oil (planted plum-cedar and wheat fields). Consistent with these species di
fferences, the composition of assemblages of small mammals differed signifi
cantly among the 11 habitats.