Meadow or forest species: What do northern Idaho ground squirrels prefer?

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Phoenix L. Aguilar McFarlane, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, Phoenix L. Aguilar McFarlane, DDCSP Collaborative, Phoenix L. Aguilar McFarlane, ESA SEEDS Program, Austin Z.T. Allison, Kerri T. Vierling and Anne Yen, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, Courtney J. Conway, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Moscow, ID

Background/Question/Methods
The northern Idaho ground squirrel (Urocitellus brunneus) is a federally threatened species, found only in two counties in central Idaho. Years of fire suppression, habitat fragmentation, and loss are thought to be the cause of population declines. These environmental changes have impacted their foraging and burrowing behavior within their meadow habitat. Forbs are the primary diet of this rare mammal and we need to better quantify the squirrels’ diet so that managers can reduce its vulnerability to extinction. For example, we need more information regarding their preference for different plant parts such as leaves, stems, and seeds. We hypothesized that northern Idaho ground squirrels that have access to both meadow and forest plant species will select meadow plant species more often because they provide more nutrients. This study was conducted on five plots on the OX Ranch west of Council, Idaho. Motion activated video cameras were attached to wooden stakes at each of the five plots with a selection of three meadow and two forest plant species to document food preference. Each video camera had a specific SD card to capture forage activity in sixty second intervals. Preference of plant species was accessed by recorded instances of plant species ingestion.
Results/Conclusions
An important result of this experiment was the squirrels’ preference for foraging on surrounding brome grasses versus forest or meadow plant species offered in our plots. Northern Idaho ground squirrels preferred foraging on Fragaria virginiana above all other forest plant species and Allium accuminatum above all other meadow plant species. The findings in this project do not support the hypothesis that northern Idaho ground squirrels prefer meadow plant species versus forest plant species. Many of the squirrels caught on video preferred to “forage on surrounding grasses'' versus any of the five plant species that we used in the experimental presentations. Data footage captured the curious nature of northern Idaho ground squirrels and the potential for future research in assessing dietary preference. Due to the lack of previous buffet and dietary experiments on this rare species, more data is required to accurately assess if northern Idaho ground squirrels prefer meadow plant species or forest plant species.