Museum staff designed and conducted a study to determine the effects of vegetation, soil, and food plants on populations of the federally-endangered Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
The Museum designed these surveys to complement years of monitoring conducted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Led by Mammologist Scott Tremor and assisted by San Diego Zoo Global Biologist Shauna King, our biologists surveyed for the Pacific pocket mouse by live trap and track tubes. Assisted by Botany Department Associate Margie Mulligan, we also completed habitat assessments (including measurements of soil compaction, percent cover of vegetation types, and abundance of food plants). Using logistic regression modeling, Ecologist and Statistician Dr. Lori Hargrove synthesized our Pacific pocket mouse detection data from live trapping and track-tube sampling with recent base-wide USGS data to identify the relative importance of key variables and predict the likely effects of soil compaction and vegetation on the mouse’s population.
This project demonstrates our ability to utilize and build on available datasets, quantify specific habitat characteristics, and analyze the associated positive and negative effects. This type of detailed analysis enables development of feasible adaptive management strategies and informs land management decisions that benefit native flora and fauna as well as landowners and managers.
