Abstract
Many areas of the western Mojave Desert have been severely impacted during the past 30 years because of human activity on lands adjacent to rapidly developing desert cities. Antelope ground squirrels were studied in order to determine the degree and scope of these borderland utilization zones. Three suburban-to-rural transects, plus one control site, were located near the city of Ridgecrest. Each transect was surveyed and rated for 10 types of human impact, and live-trapping for ground squirrel abundance was conducted along the entire length. Both the cumulative human impact ratings and the number of ground squirrel captures tended to increase with increasing proximity to the edge of development. This suggests that these ground squirrels are an edge-enhanced species and may in turn be an indicator of an overall reduction in habitat quality.
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