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Rodent Responses To Drought In The Southwestern United States: Resource Utilization Strategies And Effects To Keystone Resources, Charles L. Hayes Iv

Biology ETDs

The role of abiotic and biotic factors in regulating community and population dynamics is a central question of ecological inquiry. In the southwestern United States, the North American monsoon supplies vital pulses of moisture to Sonoran desert, arid grassland, and montane communities. I evaluated abiotic limitation in prairie and montane populations of Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) using stable isotope analysis to quantify foraging niche widths. Niche widths declined under periods of drought stress. Prairie dogs in montane habitats exhibited seasonal shifts in dietary niche width during favorable growth periods for more nutritious plants using the C_{3 …}