SMES rodent trapping data

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not
the activities of small mammals regulate plant community
structure, plant species diversity, and spatial vegetation
patterns in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands. What
role if any do indigenous small mammal consumers have in
maintaining desertified landscapes in the Chihuahuan Desert?
Additionally, how do the effects of small mammals interact with
changing climate to affect vegetation patterns over time? This
study will provide long-term experimental tests of the roles of
consumers on ecosystem pattern and process across a latitudinal
climate gradient. The following questions or hypotheses will be
addressed.

1) Do small mammals influence patterns of plant species
composition and diversity, vegetation structure, and
spatial patterns of vegetation canopy cover and biomass
in Chihuahuan Desert shrublands and grasslands? Are small
mammals keystone species that determine plant species
composition and physiognomy of Chihuahuan Desert
communities as Brown and Heske (1990a) and Gibbens et al.
(1993) suggest? Do small mammals have a significant role
in maintaining the existence of shrub islands and spatial
heterogeneity of creosotebush shrub communities?

2) Do small mammals affect the taxonomic composition and
spatial pattern of vegetation similarly or differently in
grassland communities as compared to shrub communities?
How do patterns compare between grassland and shrubland
sites, and how do these relatively small scale patterns
relate to overall landscape vegetation patterns?

3) Do small mammals interact with short-term (annual) and
long-term (decades) climate change to affect temporal
changes in vegetation spatial patterns and species
composition?

Data collected for each captured rodent: habitat, trap night, trap
web, recapture, species, sex, age, weight, reproductive status,
reproductive condition.

本研究旨在明确小型哺乳动物的活动是否会调控奇瓦瓦沙漠（Chihuahuan Desert）灌丛与草原的植物群落结构、植物物种多样性及植被空间格局。本土小型哺乳动物取食者在维持奇瓦瓦沙漠荒漠化景观方面发挥着何种作用（若存在此类作用的话）？此外，小型哺乳动物的影响效应如何与气候变化相互作用，进而随时间推移对植被格局产生影响？本研究将沿纬度气候梯度，针对消费者对生态系统格局与过程的作用开展长期实验检验，拟解答以下问题并验证相关假说：

1) 小型哺乳动物是否会影响奇瓦瓦沙漠灌丛与草原的植物物种组成与多样性格局、植被结构，以及植被盖度与生物量的空间分布格局？小型哺乳动物是否如Brown与Heske（1990a）及Gibbens等（1993）所提出的那样，是决定奇瓦瓦沙漠植物群落物种组成与外貌的关键物种？小型哺乳动物在维持灌丛岛（shrub islands）与杂酚油灌丛（creosotebush）群落的空间异质性方面是否发挥了重要作用？

2) 相较于灌丛群落，小型哺乳动物对草原群落的植被分类组成与空间格局的影响是否存在相似性或差异性？草原与灌丛样地的植被格局存在何种差异？这些相对小尺度的格局又与整体景观植被格局存在何种关联？

3) 小型哺乳动物是否会与短期（年度）及长期（数十年）气候变化相互作用，进而影响植被空间格局与物种组成的时间动态变化？

针对每一只捕获的啮齿动物，将收集以下数据：生境类型、诱捕夜数、诱捕网格布设情况、重捕记录、物种、性别、年龄、体重、繁殖状态及生殖状况。