OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to investigate how pulses of precipitation translate
into pulses of plant above ground net primary productivity (NPP) and how the small mammal
community responds to such changes also in relation to shrub gradient across the landscape.
Particularly we are interested in how the energy flows through the ecosystem in response to
pulses of rain.
HYPOTHESES:
1) Small mammal abundance should respond positively to precipitation and NPP.
2) On a temporal scale, the small mammal energy use should show parallel fluxes along the
shrub gradient.
Variables measured: Rodent abundance expressed as Minimum Number Known Alive (MNKA),
rodent biomas, rodent energy, and rodent species richness.
