Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Use And Partitioning Of Riparian Corridors By Mammalian Carnivores In Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge, Armando Toral Becker

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Land conversion across the Southwestern U.S. for agricultural and livestock use and prolonged drought conditions cascade to reduce ecosystem function, including habitat provision for wildlife. Arroyo restoration efforts aim to improve wildlife habitat by decreasing soil erosion and enhancing water retention. These hydrologic and geomorphic changes increase the likelihood that wildlife use restored corridors by increasing riparian vegetation cover. Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge (RMNWR) has restored several arroyos by installing a system of one-rock dams throughout the refuge, but the extent to which mammals prefer restored over unrestored riparian corridors and how habitat structure influences mammalian use and density …