Measuring Impacts of Restoration on Small Mammals in a Mixed-grass Colorado Prairie

Abstract

Small mammals in restored and native grassland plots were monitored at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado from 1997 to 2005 in order to measure the effects of restoration on small mammal communities. Variation in small mammal metrics (total captures, total biomass, and species richness) were related to both restoration efforts and interannual variation in weather. We compared remnant native grassland sites with restored grasslands and found that restoration plots experienced declines in the above measures following the initial alteration of soil and vegetation. However, abundance of some species and species richness also declined in control plots, probably owing to recent drought. We observed partial recovery of small mammals three to five years post-restoration. These findings suggest that timing and scale of restoration are both important considerations in maintaining small mammal communities.