Rodents gone wild in the southeastern section of Missouri in the Peck Ranch Conservation Area

Abstract

Management plans such as clear-cutting could affect the abundance of the species of rodents. The management of the forest can be responsible for the increasing or decreasing of rodent populations. I studied the rodents in the forest of the Peck Ranch Conservation Area to see if clear-cutting affected the populations. My study measured the abundance of rodents by observing their tracks in both clear-cut sites and no harvest sites. Rodents are important because they are another part of the ecosystem and can be hazardous if their population increases largely. They also though spread the plant seeds throughout the forest and keep some insects in check. I used metal rectangles about 1foot by 10inches, with clear plastic copy paper attached. I used an ink substance on the copy paper to imprint the tracks. To get the rodents to come, I used black sunflower seeds as bait. I put 10 in each the clear-cut and the no harvest site for 24hrs before recording the tracks observed.