Habitat Utilization by Neotoma lepida in the Mohave Desert

Abstract

Habitat utilization by the desert woodrat, Neotoma lepida , was investigated in the Mohave Desert. Neotoma lepida occurs in three types of habitat in Joshua Tree National Monument—semidesert rock outcrop, desert wash, and cactus. Construction of houses and dietary composition of food caches and stomachs were analyzed for each habitat and were found to be different. The desert woodrat has successfully increased its exploitation of these habitats by constructing houses from whatever materials are available in a particular habitat and also by utilizing a wide taxonomic and morphologic spectrum of food plants. Such methods of habitat utilization have, in those cases investigated, provided a degree of plasticity enabling successful coexistence with competing species.