Ecologists suspect that owls select specific areas based on prey availability. My objective was to determine and compare distributions and abundances of Mexican spotted owl prey species' within different vegetation types in the canyons and mesas of the Manti-LaSal National Forest in Utah. I conducted live-trapping during summer and fall, 1994-95. Woodrat species (Neotoma spp.) are the Mexican spotted owls primary prey species as determined by percent biomass. Peromyscus spp. are also important in terms of frequency. Woodrats were only captured in the canyons and were primarily captured within the pinyon (Pinus spp.) - juniper (Juniperus spp.) vegetation type. The Mexican spotted owls in southeastern Utah spend >75% of their time within the canyons and forage within pinyon-juniper stands in the canyons. Maintaining the present state of pinyon-juniper stands within the canyons may benefit Mexican spotted owl populations in the Manti-LaSal National Forest.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/278552 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Sureda, Maite, 1966- |
| Contributors | Morrison, Michael L. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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