Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP): Muskrat population data (1985-1989)

The Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP) was a long-term interdisciplinary study on the ecology of prairie wetlands. A scientific team from a variety of disciplines (hydrology, plant ecology, invertebrate ecology, vertebrate ecology, nutrient dynamics, marsh management) was assembled to design and oversee a long-term experiment on the effects of water-level manipulation on northern prairie wetlands. Ten years of fieldwork (1980 -1989), combining a routine long-term monitoring program and a series of short-term studies, generated a wealth of new and diverse information on the ecology and function of prairie wetlands (Murkin, Batt, Caldwell, Kadlec and van der Valk, 2000). This data set includes muskrat population data, collected as part of the vertebrate monitoring program of MERP. Re-colonizing muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) populations in the MERP experimental cells were monitored during the 1985-1989 sampling seasons to explore the effects water level and associated vegetation characteristics had on muskrat density, population size, habitat use, body condition, and survival and reproductive rates (Clark and Murkin, 1989). For further information on the Marsh Ecology Research Program (MERP), please visit: http://www.ducks.ca/conserve/research/projects/merp/index.html References: Clark, W.R., and H.R. Murkin. 1989. Vertebrates. In: Marsh Ecology Research Program: Long-term Monitoring Procedures Manual. (Eds.) E.J. Murkin and H.R. Murkin, pp. 35-38. Manitoba, Canada: Delta Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Station. Murkin, H.R., B.D.J. Batt, P.J. Caldwell, J.A. Kadlec and A.G. van der Valk. 2000a. Introduction to the Marsh Ecology Research Program. In Prairie Wetland Ecology: The Contribution of the Marsh Ecology Research Program. (Eds) H.R. Murkin, A.G. van der Valk and W.R. Clark. pp. 3-15. Ames: Iowa State University Press. Resulting Publications on Muskrat Populations Clark., W.R. 1990. Compensation in furbearer populations; current data compared with a review of concepts. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural resources Conference 55: 491-500. Clark, W.R. 1994. Habitat selection by muskrats in experimental marshes undergoing succession. Canadian Journal of Zoology 72: 675-680. Clark, W.R., and D.W. Kroeker. 1993. Population dynamics of muskrats in managed marshes at Delta, Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Zoology 71: 1620-1628. Clark, W.R. 2000. Ecology of muskrats in prairie wetlands. In Prairie Wetland Ecology: The Contribution of the Marsh Ecology Research Program. (Eds.) H.R. Murkin, A.G. van der Valk, and W.R. Clark, pp. 37-54. Iowa: Iowa State University Press.