Microhabitat preferences of the eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus, and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus.

Abstract

This study explored the microhabitat preferences of the Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus, and the Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. The study was performed at the UMBS in Pellston, Michigan, where both species are relatively abundant. The animals were trapped and the proximity of the traps to maple trees, oak and beech trees, pine trees, a grass mat, logs, buildings, trails, roads, the average ground cover, and the average canopy cover were measured. Tamias preferred areas with dense canopy cover, dense ground cover, close proximity to buildings and trails, and avoided areas with grass mats, pines, oaks, and beech trees. Spermophilus preferred microhabitats with sparse canopy cover, dense ground cover, close proximity to a grass mat, and avoided maples, beech, oak, and pine trees.