Small mammals in native and anthropogenic habitats in the Lake Wilson areaof north-central Kansas

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.