@article {KNZ002023,
	title = {Low biodiversity of small mammals in soybean fields in the northern Flint Hills, Kansas},
	journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science},
	volume = {120},
	year = {2017},
	pages = {175 - 182},
	abstract = {<p>We studied small mammals in lowland soybean fields along Kings Creek on Konza Prairie during autumn 1981 and spring 1982 to assess the composition of the small mammal community in this particular cropland habitat. We also compared species composition and other community characteristics in these crop fields to those observed in native prairie, planted brome grasslands and riparian woodlands. The small mammal community in the soybean fields was dominated by seed-eating rodents as we recorded 100\% deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) during autumn and primarily deer mice (92\%) with a low proportion (8\%) of white-footed mice (P. leucopus) during spring. In upland tallgrass prairie comprised primarily of warm-season grasses, the small mammal community was dominated by deer mice (32\%), western harvest mice (30\%; Reithrodontomys megalotis) and by white-footed mice (8\%) in autumn and then by deer mice (35\%), white-footed mice (22\%) and harvest mice (21\%) in spring. The community of small mammals in soybean fields was not only different from that in native upland prairie but also from nearby brome fields. In this cool-season grass habitat, herbivorous rodents dominated as \&gt;80\% of the small mammals were hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) during autumn and then prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and cotton rats combined in spring. The small mammal community in nearby lowland and slope prairie collected over many seasons during different years also supports the expectation that the community in soybean fields was drastically different from what would have occurred in lowland prairie habitat (most likely dominated by prairie voles, deer mice and western harvest mice) before European settlement and agricultural impacts.</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Agricultural impacts, brome fields, deer mouse, Konza Prairie, native tallgrass prairie, prairie vole, rodents, shrews, western harvest mice, white-footed mouse},
	doi = {10.1660/062.120.0404},
	url = {http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.1660/062.120.0404},
	author = {D.W. Kaufman and Kaufman, G.A.}
}
@article {KNZ002024,
	title = {Small mammals in anthropogenic brome fields as compared to native tallgrass prairie in the northern flint hills of kansas},
	journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science},
	volume = {120},
	year = {2017},
	pages = {157 - 169},
	abstract = {<p>We studied small mammals in planted smooth brome (Bromus inermis) fields on Konza Prairie to assess the small mammal community associated with these frequently occurring anthropogenic grasslands in eastern Kansas. Also, we wanted to understand the impacts of land use changes resulting from this type of anthropogenic change as compared to native habitats. Relative to this latter interest, we compared the small mammal community in brome fields to that found in native tallgrass prairie, also on Konza Prairie, for the same years and seasons during the early to mid-1980s. Small mammals were trapped in brome (n = 2 study sites) and native tallgrass prairie (n = 14) in autumn (6 years), spring (5) and summer (4) during 1981\&ndash;1986. Overall, 173 and 1893 individuals of rodents and shrews were captured in brome and native prairie, respectively. Across all seasons, community abundance in brome was greater in autumn than in spring and summer. Patterns of community abundance among seasons in brome were not proportionally similar to those found in tallgrass prairie. Although proportions in autumn were similar, the patterns in spring and summer were in contrasting directions; spring was higher in brome and summer was higher in prairie. When all seasons were combined, no effect on community abundance was observed from burning the brome fields. Community abundance in brome was similar on burned and unburned traplines in autumn and spring but not in summer. In summer, greater abundance of small mammals occurred on burned than on unburned research sites. The proportion of small mammals in burned brome fields in the three seasons mirrored the proportions observed on burned sites in native prairie. In contrast, these proportions were not similar for spring and summer in brome and prairie for unburned study sites. Species composition and the numerical dominance of species varied greatly between brome fields and native prairie overall as well as among seasons. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were numerically dominant in brome fields, whereas deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were in native prairie. Furthermore, herbivorous rodents were numerically dominant in brome fields, whereas seed-eating omnivores were the predominant species in native prairie. Finally, our study indicates that agricultural land use change can result in temporally and spatially variable small mammal communities that do not mirror those found in native tallgrass prairie.</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-KNZ, community abundance, deer mouse, fire, prairie vole, relative abundance, rodents, shrews, Species composition, Species richness},
	doi = {10.1660/062.120.0402},
	url = {http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.1660/062.120.0402},
	author = {D.W. Kaufman and Kaufman, G.A.}
}
@article {KNZ001105,
	title = {Effects of prairie vole runways on tallgrass prairie},
	journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science},
	volume = {110},
	year = {2007},
	pages = {100 -106},
	abstract = {Disturbances by large mammals influence plant populations and ecosystem processes. In contrast, impacts on ecosystem processes at local scales by small herbivorous rodents are relatively unknown. To examine effects of the runways of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) on soil nitrogen, we collected soil cores from under runways, along the runway edges and at 0.25 and 2 m away from runways. Plant samples (both current and previous year{\textquoteright}s growth) were clipped from microsites at edges of runways and at 0.25 and 2 m away from runways. Concentrations of soil nitrate were highest along runway edges and lowest 2 m away, whereas those of ammonium were highest 0.25 m away from runways and lowest under runways and along runway edges. Biomass of plants from previous growth (litter) was higher along edges of runways than at 0.25 and 2 m from runway edges. In contrast to differences in soil nitrate and ammonium concentrations and in litter biomass among microsites, carbon: nitrogen (C:N) ratios of big bluestem and live plant biomass were similar among the three microsites. Our data suggest that prairie voles do affect nutrient dynamics and plant litter at a local scale in tallgrass prairie.},
	keywords = {LTER-KNZ, C:N ratios, Herbivory, Microtus ochrogaster, nitrogen dynamics, plant biomass, plant-animal interaction, prairie vole, runways},
	doi = {10.1660/0022-8443(2007)110[100:EOPVRO]2.0.CO;2},
	author = {Ross, B.E. and Reed, A.W. and Rehmeier, R.L. and Kaufman, G.A. and D.W. Kaufman}
}
