![]() ![]() Biologists are then able to interpret tracks and identify the distinct prints of Pacific pocket mouse and other sympatric rodent species. When small mammals enter the track tube to retrieve bait, they step on an inked pad and leave prints on track paper inside. ![]() In pilot studies, passive sampling using track tubes demonstrated the best detection probability, lowest impact to the species and habitat, and was most cost-effective among the sampling methodologies tested. Track tube surveys are a simple and passive method of identifying small mammals by their tracks. Within each plot, a subset of 32 subplots are sampled using track tubes. Each plot is multi-scaled, comprised of 64 smaller 12.5 m x 12.5 m (0.0156 ha) subplots (the average size of a core Pacific pocket mouse home range), to allow researchers to explore the dynamics of these populations at different spatial scales as they respond to changes in habitat and disturbance. USGS established a number of 100 m x 100 m (1.0 ha) monitoring plots stratified across all population sites on Camp Pendleton. This design allows USGS to track trends and identify predictors of occupancy, colonization, and extinction.įull monitoring efforts began in 2012. Following these informative studies, USGS researchers collaborated with a scientific panel to design a relatively simple, multi-scaled, habitat-based, adaptive monitoring program for Pacific pocket mouse on Camp Pendleton. Studies included live-trapping, canine scent detection, and newly developed track tubes. Several pilot studies were carried out by USGS to determine the best sampling methodology to meet program goals and objectives. In 2007, the USGS was contracted to develop a scientifically valid and cost-effective monitoring program for the Pacific pocket mouse on Camp Pendleton to help fulfill stewardship and regulatory requirements for the natural resources on Base. Potential threats and stressors include habitat loss, habitat alteration, fragmentation, predation risks, competition for seed resources, and impacts from vibrations, noise, and artificial lighting. There are currently only three known extant populations, one on Dana Point and the two largest on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. They were believed to be extinct in 1972, but were rediscovered in 1993, and federally listed as endangered in 1994. The Pacific pocket mouse has historically occupied marine terraces and alluvial plains along the southern California coast and has been typically associated with open patches of sandy soils. They exhibit typical behaviors of heteromyid rodents including sand bathing to keep pelage clean and healthy, collecting seeds in external cheek pouches, and caching of seeds below ground and within burrow systems for sustenance throughout the year. The Pacific pocket mouse is one of 19 subspecies of the little pocket mice in the Heteromyid family and weighs an average of only 6 grams (0.04 oz). The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only” to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.This video shows a Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) sandbathing at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in 2015. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. We would ask that you attribute these to BioInteractive and not use them for commercial purposes. These card images are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CCC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. #ROCK POCKET MOUSE LAB ANSWERS ZIP FILE#A document within the ZIP file contains suggestions for their use. The “Card Images” ZIP file contains individual image files for the cards used in this activity that can be used in the classroom, particularly in online courses. This activity serves as an extension to the short film The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation and as a means of reinforcing the concepts of variation and natural selection. The activity involves collecting and graphing data and making evidence-based claims. They then order those images based on the data and their knowledge of evolution by natural selection. Students analyze data from images of rock pocket mouse populations in different settings and over time. This activity allows students to collect and analyze data on the evolution of coat color in rock pocket mouse populations living on differently colored substrates. ![]()
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