Meagan Marie Bell
Published: 2017
Total Pages: 138
Get eBook
The Gulf Coast kangaroo rat (Dipodomys compactus) is an endemic Texas species belonging to the family Heteromyidae. Many heteromyid species, especially kangaroo rats, are highly specialized nocturnal granivorous rodents with external fur lined cheek pouches, bipedal cursorial locomotion, and adaptations for arid and desert conditions. Despite being one of six Texas endemic mammals, few studies have been conducted on habitat requirements, movement, and basic ecology of the Gulf Coast kangaroo rat with no long-term research. From April 2016 to March 2017, I have seasonally monitored burrowing activity of Gulf Coast kangaroo rats and recorded vegetative parameters at 63 randomly selected sites on a working cattle and wildlife ranch located in Guadalupe County, Texas. Sites with active burrows or a history of occupancy were monitored monthly. Within a 10-m radius plot at each site and using the Daubenmire frame cover estimate technique, I recorded percent cover of the following cover classes: bare ground, standing dead vegetation, litter, living grass, and living forbs. Additionally, I identified to the lowest taxonomic level the dominant live green grass and forb species in each Daubenmire frame and recorded the height of the tallest live grass, live forb, and standing dead vegetation. Using a spherical densitometer, I determined the percent woody canopy coverage at each Daubenmire frame. Twenty-two of 63 sites were occupied. Using Nested ANOVA, I found significantly greater cover of litter, taller standing dead, and taller grass (p