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Interactions Between Predation Risk And Competition - A Field-Study Of Kangaroo Rats And Snakes, Amos Bouskila

Amos Bouskila

The effects of predation risk from snakes on microhabitat use of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys deserti and D. merriami) was studied in the Mojave Desert. I concentrated on the effects of the predator on the foraging behavior of the rodents and eliminated effects of prey capture on prey population size. Foraging stations contained three seed trays, one in each of three microhabitats (Open, Bush, Grass). The amount of seed left in each tray after one night of foraging was used to assess the responses to predation risk and other foraging costs; additional data were collected during direct observations and by trapping. …