Johnson, Dave R. 1976. Peromyscus maniculatus Activity in a Prairie Dog Town, Wind Cave National Park. 9 p.

Abstract

The deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, has frequently been observed to be common in prairie dog towns (King 1955, Koford 1958, Tyler 1968 and 1970). King (1955) noticed that P. maninuculatus periodically abound in the towns while Koford (1958) wrote that they were the "commonest mammal on most prairie dog towns."

The reasons for the abundance of P. maniculatus in prairie dog towns have never been quantitatively investigated. Speculations as to the reasons, however, have been made. Koford (1958) suggested that prairie dog burrows provided refuges for the mice. He also proposed that prairie dog herbivory diminished the vegetation to a state more favorable to P. maniculatus than undisturbed prairie. He cited "short vegetation, many seed producing forbs, hiding holes, and a high proportion of bare ground..." as features which attract P. maniculatus. King (1955), however, saw only the less frequented prairie dog burrows as utilized by P. maniculatus and then only as transient refuges.

The purpose of this study was to measure the P. maniculatus activity on a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) town as compared to an undisturbed mid-grass prairie setting. Furthermore, early in the project it became apparent that there was variable P. maniculatus activity within the prairie dog town. To understand these unequal activity levels, I sought to measure the factors which influenced P. maniculatus activity and submit the data to statistical analysis.