Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) Food Habits in the Central Appalachians

Abstract

Declining Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) populations suggest a need for more basic ecological information about the species for proper management. Within the core of the Allegheny woodrat's distribution in the central Appalachians, food habits and food resource availability are poorly understood. We collected fecal material from known Allegheny woodrats between November 1997 and December 1998 and used microhistological techniques to describe seasonal food habits in the oak (Quercus spp.), dominated forests of the Ridge and Valley and the northern hardwood forests of the Allegheny Plateau physiographic provinces. We examined dietary differences among seasons within and between provinces. Green vegetation, hard mast, soft mast and fungi were present in Allegheny woodrat diets in both provinces in all seasons. Presence of fungi and soft mast in the diet was higher and more widespread seasonally in the Allegheny Plateau than the Ridge and Valley due, in part, to the more mesic forest conditions and more extensive early successional forest habitat in the Allegheny Plateau. Presence of hard mast in the diet tracked acorn production and availability in both provinces in 1997 and 1998. Significant acorn use on the Allegheny Plateau, where oak-dominated forest stands are rare, highlights the importance of hard mast to Allegheny woodrats. Based on food habits we describe, managers seeking to enhance Allegheny woodrat habitat need to provide a mix of habitat conditions containing abundant green vegetation and optimize production and availability of hard mast, soft mast and fungi.