2020/12/04 by Abad, Wolfgang, Morales-Doo, Jose, Pomeroy, Carly +1
#big-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) #ecosystem engineers #house usability #vegetation density #woodrat houses
paper · doi:10.21973/n3dd39
Woodrats are ecosystem engineers that can increase biodiversity by physically changing the environment. In doing so, they alter landscapes and increase the number of microhabitats for other organisms. In order to better understand woodrats’ role in their ecosystem, we surveyed big-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) houses in Hastings Natural History Reservation located in Monterey County, California. For each house, we determined its usability and measured its size. We found a 26 percent increase in population density after a 70-year period with no difference in the proportions of usable and unusable houses. Larger house sizes and more usable houses were found in high vegetation density. Woodrat house sizes were the largest and the vegetation density was the highest in the creek beds. As this study was conducted after the breeding season ended, this may have had an effect on the woodrat population density and proportions in their house usability. In addition, woodrat preference for dense vegetation in riparian areas influenced the house size and where their houses were found.These findings can supplement existing knowledge on the effects of ecosystem engineers on a habitat, while also improving our understanding of how abiotic and biotic factors change an environment.