Indicators of red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudonicus) abundance in the whitebark pine zone
Great Basin Naturalist
By: D.J. Mattson and Daniel P. Reinhart
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Abstract
We investigated occupied squirrel middens and squirrel sightings and vocalizations as indicators of red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) abundance in the high-elevation whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) zone. Data were collected 1984-1989 from line transects located on 2 study sites in the Yellowstone ecosystem. We evaluated the performance of each measure on the basis of precision and biological considerations. We concluded that, of the 3 measures, active middens were the best indicator of red squirrel abundance. We also observed that the density of active middens dropped by 48%-66% between 1987 and 1989, following a severe drought and extensive wildfires that burned one of the study sites during 1988.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Indicators of red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudonicus) abundance in the whitebark pine zone |
| Series title | Great Basin Naturalist |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year Published | 1996 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University |
| Contributing office(s) | Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center |
| Description | p. 272-275 |
| First page | 272 |
| Last page | 275 |