Researcher:
Steven Ostoja, USGS Western Ecological Research Station, 760-872-3023, sostoja@usgs.gov
Study Dates:
May 2006 to September 2008
SageSTEP Study Plots:
Study Design and Objectives:
This study has been designed in order to understand several aspects of rodent population and community ecology in an ecological restoration context. Researchers will evaluate pre- and post-restoration treatments on rodent population and community dynamics. The rodent communities will be evaluated in three ecological restoration treatment types: (1) control, (2) prescribed fire, and (3) mechanical vegetation thinning. In each treatment type researchers will establish three replicate trapping grids. Trapping grids will be a 7 x 7 arrangement with 7 m between adjacent traps (n = 147 traps/treatment plot). Trapping was conducted three times before treatments (2006), and will continue three times per year for two years following the treatments.
![ostoja_traps](https://sagestep.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ostoja_traps.jpg)
Small mammal traps on the Onaqui burn plot.