Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />greatest in mountain shrub followed by aspen woodlands, <br />these communities may be considered more important habitats <br />for small mammals than sagebrush or meadows. The diets <br />of the six species trapped in mountan shrub type ranged <br />from animal matter to seeds and vegetation, suggesting <br />that not only a diverse habitat exists but also a diverse <br />food resource base. <br />Unlike the woodland communities, sagebrush, and meadows <br />are more opea and more restricted in growth-form. The <br />deer mouse, a predominantly seed-eating species although <br />weakly omnivorous, was the only species to appear in <br />these communities. The grasses at the meadow grid site <br />were established through human manipulation, and the <br />presence of deer mice and the absence of other rodents <br />typifies the relationship between deer mice and exotic <br />communities. <br />Data (Table 21) indicates less breeding activity occurs <br />in aspen woodland than in the other communities. This <br />may reflect shorter reproduction seasons at higher ele- <br />vation. <br />No specific information concerning rabbit and hare pop- <br />ulations on the areas is available, but it would be ex- <br />pected that the numbers would correspond to the low <br />population densities common in northwest Colorado for <br />the past few years. <br />96 <br />