Rabbit Population Densities at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-2004)

Authors

Robert Parmenter

Date

1-27-2014

Abstract

This study measured the population dynamics of black-tail jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus auduboni) in the grasslands and creosote shrublands of McKenzie Flats, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The study was begun in January, 1992, and continued quarterly each year. Rabbits were sampled via night-time spotlight transect sampling along the roads of McKenzie Flats during winter, spring, summer, and fall of each year. The entire road transect was 21.5 miles in length. Measurements of perpendicular distance of each rabbit from the center of the road were used to estimate densities (number of rabbits per square kilometer) via Program DISTANCE. Results from 1992 to 2002 indicated that spring was the peak density period of the year, with generally steady declines through the year until the following spring. Evidence of a long-term "cycle" (e.g., the 11 year cycle reported for rabbits in the Great Basin Desert) did not appear in the Sevilleta rabbit populations.

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/1928/30067

Other Identifier

SEV113

Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) Identifier

knb-lter-sev.113.119299

Document Type

Dataset

Comments

This dataset was originally published on the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Data Portal, https://portal.lternet.edu, and potentially via other repositories or portals as described. The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of the source data package is doi:10.6073/pasta/158b136a37935f9eb465a5b3fdcc471a, and may be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/158b136a37935f9eb465a5b3fdcc471a. Metadata and files included in this record mirror as closely as possible the source data and documentation, with the provenance metadata and quality report generated by the LTER portal reproduced here as '*-provenance.xml' and *-report.html' files, respectively.

Rights

Data Policies: This dataset is released to the public and may be freely downloaded. Please keep the designated Contact person informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation or collaboration with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset must include proper acknowledgement of the Sevilleta LTER. Datasets must be cited as in the example provided. A copy of any publications using these data must be supplied to the Sevilleta LTER Information Manager. By downloading any data you implicitly acknowledge the LTER Data Policy (http://www.lternet.edu/data/netpolicy.html).

Source

http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/158b136a37935f9eb465a5b3fdcc471a

Temporal coverage

1992-01-20 - 2004-05-03

Spatial coverage

McKenzie Flats is located within the northeastern section of the Sevilleta NWR, encompassing an area from Black Butte south to Palo Duro Canyon and east to the Los Pinos.

DOI

doi:10.6073/pasta/158b136a37935f9eb465a5b3fdcc471a

Permanent URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/158b136a37935f9eb465a5b3fdcc471a

Recommended Citation

Parmenter, Robert (2014-01-27): Rabbit Population Densities at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1992-2004). Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/158b136a37935f9eb465a5b3fdcc471a