Doctoral Dissertation Research: On the ground and from above: A multi-factor analysis of the direct and indirect drivers of tallgrass prairie small mammal communities

博士论文研究：地面和上方：对高草草原小型哺乳动物群落直接和间接驱动因素的多因素分析这一博士论文研究改进项目调查了大范围土地覆盖和小规模管理活动在推动小哺乳动物种群增长方面的作用，如高草草原田鼠的数量。高草草原提供关键的生态系统服务，如碳储存、文化联系和水源保持。通过建立我们对草原食物网的理解，我们的目标是让土地管理者有一个更完整的图景，以便为管理决策提供信息。此外，这项研究还有助于了解复杂草原生态系统和多个尺度上的管理效果。在更广泛的影响方面，这项研究1)培训了数十名志愿者，包括来自不同背景的本科生，了解小型哺乳动物诱捕方法；2)为旨在做出循证管理决策的土地管理者提供支持；3)开发并实施了一门景观生态学课程，供本科生课堂使用。小型哺乳动物种群的多尺度驱动因素目前尚不清楚，特别是在受到严重威胁的高草草原生境中。为了更好地了解这些复杂的系统，这项研究使用了长期的小型哺乳动物诱捕数据、长期的植被调查和从无人机图像中获得的土地覆盖数据，以研究土地覆盖和管理活动如何通过对植被的影响直接或间接地塑造小型哺乳动物种群。由于它们在草原食物网中的核心作用，了解小型哺乳动物种群有助于破译整个群落的健康状况。通过分析这些物种的驱动因素，这项工作增进了对草原群落以及栖息地变化和管理活动的影响的了解，特别是在可能退化或恢复生态系统的人类活动之后。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Title: Doctoral Dissertation Research: On the ground and from above: A multi-factor analysis of the direct and indirect drivers of tallgrass prairie small mammal communitiesThis Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement project investigates the role of both broad-scale land cover and small-scale management activities in driving the populations of small mammals, such as mice in voles in tallgrass prairies. Tallgrass prairies provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon storage, cultural connections, and water retention. By building our understanding of prairie food webs, we aim to equip land managers with a more complete picture to inform management decisions. Furthermore, this study contributes to the knowledge about complex prairie ecosystems and management effects across multiple scales. On broader impacts, this study 1)trains dozens of volunteers, including undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, on small mammal trapping methodology, 2) provides support for land managers aiming to make evidence-based management decisions, and 3) develops and implements a lesson in landscape ecology for use in undergraduate classrooms. The multi-scale drivers of small mammal populations are not currently well-understood, especially in critically threatened tallgrass prairie habitats. To better understand these complex systems, this study uses long-term small mammal trapping data, long-term vegetation surveys, and land cover data derived from drone imagery to examine how land cover and management activities shape small mammal populations, directly or indirectly, through impacts on vegetation. Due to their central role in prairie food webs, understanding small mammal populations helps decipher the community's health as a whole. By analyzing the drivers of these species, this work advances the knowledge about prairie communities and the impacts of habitat change and management activity, especially in the wake of human activities that may degrade or restore the ecosystem.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.