Small mammal responses to fire in the Mojave Desert

Background/Question/Methods

In 2005 the Mojave Desert experienced an unprecedented amount of fire. Due to the large extent of the fire and the presence of invasive exotic vegetation (i.e. Bromus rubens) the long term future and possible recovery of the Mojave Desert is brought into question. Small mammals of the Mojave Desert are thought to play a major role in the dispersal of vegetation throughout the Mojave Desert by top down control. The presence and abundance of small mammal granivores of the Mojave Desert may be indicative of how the large expanse of areas burned may be re-vegetated.

Results/Conclusions

Seasonal counts of small mammals by live traps reveal that most small mammals captured (Chaetodipus formosus, Peromyscus spp., Neotoma lepida, Dipodomys spp.) are significantly underrepresented or entirely absent in the areas that have burned. Merriam's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami) is the only small mammal captured that does not show seasonal absences and that is not significantly less abundant in the burned areas of the Mojave Desert. Future studies will examine how this shift in small mammal diversity will affect re-vegetation of the burned Mojave Desert.