Food Habits of Rodents Inhabiting Arid and Semi-Arid Ecosystems of Central New Mexico." (2007)
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University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Special Publications Museum of Southwestern Biology 5-10-2007 Food Habits of Rodents Inhabiting Arid and Semi- arid Ecosystems of Central New Mexico Andrew G. Hope Robert R. Parmenter Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/msb_special_publications Recommended Citation Hope, Andrew G. and Robert R. Parmenter. "Food Habits of Rodents Inhabiting Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems of Central New Mexico." (2007). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/msb_special_publications/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Museum of Southwestern Biology at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Publications by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MUSEUM OF SOUTHWESTERN BIOLOGY NUMBER 9, pp. 1–75 10 May 2007 Food Habits of Rodents Inhabiting Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems of Central New Mexico ANDREW G. HOPE AND ROBERT R. PARMENTER1 Special Publication of the Museum of Southwestern Biology 1 CONTENTS Abstract................................................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Study Sites ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Cottonwood Riparian Forest ....................................................................................................... 6 Piñon-Juniper Woodland ............................................................................................................ 6 Juniper-Oak Savanna.................................................................................................................. 7 Mesquite Savanna ....................................................................................................................... 7 Short-Grass Steppe .................................................................................................................... 8 Chihuahuan Desert Scrubland .................................................................................................... 9 Methods ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Field Sampling ............................................................................................................................. 9 Diet Analyses ............................................................................................................................... 9 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 10 Species Accounts of Diet Composition ............................................................................................ 10 Family Sciuridae: Spermophilus spilosoma (Spotted Ground Squirrel) ................................................................ 10 Family Heteromyidae: Perognathus flavescens (Plains Pocket Mouse) ................................................................... 13 Perognathus flavus (Silky Pocket Mouse) ........................................................................... 15 Dipodomys merriami (Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat) ............................................................... 18 Dipodomys ordii (Ord’s Kangaroo Rat) .............................................................................. 24 Dipodomys spectabilis (Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat) ......................................................... 28 Family Muridae: Reithrodontomys megalotis (Western Harvest Mouse) ....................................................... 30 Peromyscus boylii (Brush Mouse) ....................................................................................... 32 Peromyscus eremicus (Cactus Mouse) .................................................................................. 33 Peromyscus leucopus (White-footed Mouse) ....................................................................... 34 Peromyscus truei (Piñon Mouse) ........................................................................................ 37 Onychomys arenicola (Mearn’s Grasshopper Mouse).......................................................... 39 Onychomys leucogaster (Northern Grasshopper Mouse) ..................................................... 40 Neotoma albigula (White-throated Woodrat).................................................................... 43 Neotoma micropus (Southern Plains Woodrat) ................................................................... 47 Diets of Rodents: Community Analyses ........................................................................................... 48 Comparisons Among Species of Rodents ................................................................................. 48 Comparisons Among Communities of Plants .......................................................................... 48 Plant Seeds as Food Resources for Rodents .............................................................................. 53 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................ 58 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................. 59 Appendix 1. Nomenclature for plants referenced in text ................................................................. 64 2 Food Habits of Rodents Inhabiting Arid and Semi-arid Ecosystems of Central New Mexico ◆ A.G. Hope, R.R.Parmenter LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. List of rodents sampled on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ....... 11 TABLE 2. List of items discovered in the diet of the plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ................................................................. 14 TABLE 3. Summary of prey types of the plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ............................................................................ 15 TABLE 4. List of items discovered in the diet of the silky pocket mouse (Perognathus flavus) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ............................................................................. 16 TABLE 5. Summary of prey types of the silky pocket mouse (Perognathus flavus) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ............................................................................. 17 TABLE 6. List of items discovered in the diet of Merriam’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ................................................................. 19 TABLE 7. Summary of prey types of the Merriam’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ................................................................. 20 TABLE 8. List of items discovered in the diet of Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ............................................................................. 25 TABLE 9. Summary of prey types of the Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ........................................................................................... 26 TABLE 10. List of items discovered in the diet of the western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ................................................. 31 TABLE 11. Summary of prey types of the western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ................................................................. 31 TABLE 12. List of items discovered in the diet of the brush mouse (Peromyscus boylii) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ............................................................................. 32 TABLE 13. Summary of prey types of the brush mouse (Peromyscus boylii) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ........................................................................................ 33 TABLE 14. List of items discovered in the diet of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ................................................................. 34 TABLE 15. Summary of prey types of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. ............................................................................. 36 TABLE 16. List of items discovered in the diet of the piñon mouse (Peromyscus truei) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. .............................................................................. 37 ...continued Special Publication of the Museum of Southwestern Biology 3 LIST OF TABLES, continued TABLE 17. Summary of prey types of the piñon mouse (Peromyscus truei) on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. .......................................................................................