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Mammal Surveys in Great Basin National Park: Assessment of Historical Faunal Change

Mammal Surveys in Great Basin National Park: Assessment of Historical Faunal Change. Eric Rickart & Shannen Robson. Utah Museum of Natural History University of Utah. METHODS. Historical data sources. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) 1929-1939 field surveys. Other records – 1940-1990

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Mammal Surveys in Great Basin National Park: Assessment of Historical Faunal Change

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  1. Mammal Surveys in Great Basin National Park: Assessment of Historical Faunal Change Eric Rickart & Shannen Robson Utah Museum of Natural History University of Utah

  2. METHODS Historical data sources Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) 1929-1939 field surveys Other records – 1940-1990 Publications MaNIS museum network Recent data sources UMNH-FMNH survey – 2000 NPS I&M (UMNH) – 2002-2003 GRBA sight reports – 1994-2004

  3. GENERAL SURVEY RESULTS (non-volant mammals) Historical records (pre-1990) Park: 390 records 31 species Park region: 893 records 48 species Recent surveys (2000-2003) 4379 trap nights 642 records 26 species GRBA sight reports 366 reports 22 species Species Totals Park Greater region Non-volants 42 54 Total (incl. bats) 49 67

  4. Abundant generalist Uncommon riparian specialist Vagrant shrew (Sorex vagrans) Water shrew (Sorex palustris) Merriam’s shrew (Sorex merriami) Sagebrush Inyo shrew (Sorex tenellus) High elevations (rocky substrate) Shrews (small mammal exemplars) Uncommon habitat specialists

  5. 1930 Piñon-Juniper expansion Invasive cheatgrass Historical change 2003

  6. Resurvey protocol Local site assessments: Relocate historical collecting sites that were densely sampled Determine historical sampling effort Do comparable modern sampling Assess habitat changes (notes and photographs) Interpret local faunal changes Broader scale (landscape) assessments: Shifts in elevation ranges of species Specimen counts as a proxy for effort

  7. = historical record = recent record Survey localities Historical & Recent Survey comparison

  8. Resurvey comparisons -- Four elevation “bins” Historical Modern Elevation (1929-1939) (2000-2003) records species records species Low: 5300-6700 ft 67 10 65 12 (ca. 1600-2050 m) Mid: 7000-8000 ft 125 14 56 7 (ca. 2150-2450 m) High: 8100-10500 ft 79 7 80 8 (ca. 2450-3200 m) Alpine: 10700-11200 ft 30 7 28 5 (ca. 3250-3400 m)

  9. Low elevation

  10. Low elevation

  11. Mid elevation

  12. Mid elevation

  13. High elevation

  14. High elevation

  15. Alpine

  16. Alpine

  17. Species responding to loss/shift of sagebrush habitat Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus) Least chipmunk (Tamias minimus)

  18. Species increasing with spread of piñon-juniper Piñon mouse (Peromyscus truei) Uinta chipmunk (Tamias umbrinus)

  19. Declining Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) Species responding to cheatgrass invasion Expanding Harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) Long-tailed vole (Microtus longicaudus)

  20. Declining woodrats Bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) Desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida)

  21. Uncommon species Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)

  22. Keystone species Cougar (Puma concolor) Beaver (Castor canadensis)

  23. Field assistants • Danny Balete • Alex Baugh • Larry Heaney • Rob McIntyre • Joe Walsh • GRBA - NPS • Gretchen Baker • Bryan Hamilton • Kris Heister • Joe Sirotnak • Tod Williams • Funding • Utah Museum of Natural History • Field Museum • NPS Mojave network I&M program Acknowledgements

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