Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

Department

Wildlife and Fisheries Resources

Committee Chair

James T. Anderson.

Abstract

At Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, we trapped small mammals in areas dominated by Morrow's honeysuckle, an invasive shrub, and we determined that prebaiting 1 and 2 days before the actual trapping period did not improve trapping success. We do not recommend using the added resources (i.e., time, money, personnel, and equipment) to incorporate prebaiting into trapping regimes because trapping success was not improved. We fluorescent powdertracked mice in old field and forested areas with Morrow's honeysuckle encroachment to determine the microhabitat they selected. Mice selected paths with high shrub and tree cover and low herbaceous cover. They selected native herbaceous vegetation and avoided exotic vegetation.;We determined shrubs (native and exotic) and soil characteristics that were associated with 4 earthworm species. Earthworm densities were largely dependent upon the shrub species and this will be useful for understanding the effects that worms may have on soil conditions and shrub species.

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