PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 21: Biogeography, Biodiversity, Populations, and Genetics.
Thursday, August 7 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Impact of habitat structure on cotton rat population dynamics in an abandoned agricultrural field.
Clanton, Keith*,1, Stout, I.*,1, 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Orlando, Florida
ABSTRACT- Inter- and intragrid variation in population dynamics of cotton rats were studied in an abandoned agricultural field near Lake Apopka, Florida. Trapping took place from March through August 2000 within the St. Johns River Water Management District's 3,238-hectare North Shore Restoration Area. Horizontal and vertical measures of habitat structure were taken. A significant positive relationship was discovered across the study site between the rate of population growth and the spatial coverage of live herbaceous species. Significant trends between population growth and herbaceous height were not as apparent. Intragrid analyses revealed that larger males were captured in areas with greater herbaceous height whereas smaller males were taken in areas with shorter herbaceous cover. This relationship was also influenced by the minimum height of the herbaceous layer and the minimum patch size.
Key words: population dynamics, habitat structure, cotton rat