The value of dihydrogen monoxide to a jumping mouse: habitat use and preference in <i>Zapus princeps</i>.

Abstract

The western jumping mouse, Zapus princeps is common in riparian habitat. There are multiple hypotheses (need for water, food type, or anti-predator/cover) for why this is. The objective of this project was to determine the use of mesic and adjacent drier habitats by Zapus using both a live-trapping study and a historical study using records of Zapus captures at three sites in the East River Valley, Gunnison, CO. I also conducted a test to determine if the presence of water vs. cover had a greater influence on Zapus habitat selection. I live-trapped individuals of Z. princeps in three different habitats: riparian, intermediate, and dry, replicated at three sites. I marked the mice uniquely to indicate the habitat in which they were first trapped. This allowed me to study frequency of recaptures both within and among habitat types. I also compared trapping success between two different microhabitats (wet/cover vs. dry/cover). The third study used historical trapping records on permanent grids to determine long-term patterns of Zapus captures with vegetation and proximity to water. Zapus princeps was captured more frequently in riparian areas. Zapus preferred to move within and between wetter habitats than the dry. The historical study showed a negative relationship between trap success and distance from water. The microhabitat experiment showed a trend but no overall significant difference in capture of mice between microhabitats of wet/cover and dry/cover.

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