NEON Biorepository Mammal Collection (Ear Tissue)

Small mammal ear punches collected during NEON live-trapping events. Sampling 3-8 mammal trapping grids per site 3 are designated pathogen grids (3 nights per bout) Rest are designated diversity grids (1 night per bout) Number of bouts/year dependant on site type Core sites: ~6 bouts/year Gradient sites: ~4 bouts/year Sampling aligned with lunar cycle (within ±10 days of new moon) Ear, fecal, hair and whisker samples only collected 3 bouts/year Methods Live capture using Sherman box traps (10 × 10 grids, 10 m spacing) Traps opened over night and closed during the day Individuals vouchered if found deceased or require euthanasia, otherwise processed and released Ear punches collected once per life of an individual Ear punch collection restricted to target species Preservation Subset sent for DNA barcoding or pathogen analysis; remainder are archived Stored at −80 °C in the NEON Biorepository