From 2012 to 2023 we live-trapped small mammals within the two habitats of Hazeldell Meadow State Nature Preserve on the Highland Rim of northern Pulaski County, Kentucky. This is a rare ecosystem and the only protected site of its kind in the state. Seven species were captured during the study. In the wet meadow habitat, white-footed deermice (Peromyscus leucopus) were captured throughout the study with a peak in 2020. This was the first year bot fly larvae were found on white-footed deermice. No other species had them. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were captured for the first time in the fall of 2022. Far fewer white-footed deermice were captured after prairie voles arrived, which then became the most captured species in 2022 and 2023. The eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) was the third most-often captured species, but only infrequently. Three species were captured in the wet flatwoods; white-footed deermice accounted for 89% of the captures. Over the 12 years of this study, there have been three phases of management of the meadow that included burning, mowing, and removal of sapling trees by hand. These management practices and climate change may be influencing the balance of small mammal species in Hazeldell Preserve. Consequently, this study serves as a baseline to recognize future changes and trends in small mammal ecology in the preserve.
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5 January 2025
Small Mammals of a Rare Highland Rim Ecosystem in Kentucky
James J. Krupa,
Ellen R. Tierney,
Aidan E. O'Brien,
Abigail R. Kruger,
Taylor G. Dorsey,
Alayna K. Bennett,
Benjamin E. Scott,
Samantha M. McKinley
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