RODENT DYNAMICS IN RELATION TO FIRE IN THE SONORAN DESERT

I trapped rodents on and near adjacent desert areas for 13 months before and after fire burned one area. Dipodomys merriami colonized the burned area after fire, but abundance of Neotoma albigula, Perognathus amplus, and Chaetodipus baileyi declined on the burned area after fire. Neotoma albigula showed immediate and long-term changes to fire, whereas burrowing species showed mostly long-term changes. Much about fire can be inferred through the elimination of competing hypotheses, despite statistical limitations of studying single fires.