First Advisor
Dr. Kristofor A. Voss
College
Regis College
Degree Name
MS Environmental Biology
Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Number of Pages
70 pages
Abstract
Land conversion across the Southwestern U.S. for agricultural and livestock use and prolonged drought conditions cascade to reduce ecosystem function, including habitat provision for wildlife. Arroyo restoration efforts aim to improve wildlife habitat by decreasing soil erosion and enhancing water retention. These hydrologic and geomorphic changes increase the likelihood that wildlife use restored corridors by increasing riparian vegetation cover. Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge (RMNWR) has restored several arroyos by installing a system of one-rock dams throughout the refuge, but the extent to which mammals prefer restored over unrestored riparian corridors and how habitat structure influences mammalian use and density in those corridors is unknown. To test whether arroyo restoration improves habitat for large mammals, we collected data on corridor morphology and vegetation structure in the vicinity of 30 camera traps along 10 corridors within the RMNWR. Habitat variability across camera traps was driven by corridor level differences in water availability, vegetation composition, and morphology, rather than restoration status. A total of fifteen species were recorded using two of the ten canyons. Mean species abundance differed only for three species that were found in one canyon versus another, while mean species occurrence showed a greater difference for nine of the fifteen species. Habitat structure effects tended to relate modestly to visitation rates.
Date of Award
Spring 2020
Location (Creation)
Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)
Copyright
© Armando Toral Becker
Rights Statement
All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.
Recommended Citation
Toral Becker, Armando, "Use and Partitioning of Riparian Corridors by Mammalian Carnivores in Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge" (2020). Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection). 963.
https://epublications.regis.edu/theses/963