WILLIAM D. BOYETT
Education:
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B. S. in Biology, 1992, Northern Arizona University
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M. S. 2001, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Thesis research: Habitat use by the endangered Hualapai Mexican vole:
implications for conservation.
The Hualapai Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus hualpaiensis) is an
endangered rodent endemic to northwestern Arizona, where it is restricted
to a few isolated mountain ranges. Within these ranges, small isolated
populations primarily inhabit ponderosa pine-Gambel oak forest. Remaining
populations are vulnerable to extinction through habitat loss and degradation.
Effective management of habitat requires detailed knowledge of the habitats
with which the Hualapai Mexican vole is associated. Interspecific
interactions between voles and other coexisting rodents also may have important
consequences because the latter may displace the former from preferred
habitats, thereby limiting population sizes or dispersal opportunities.
Past studies of the Hualapai Mexican vole consist solely of anecdotal observations
and description of gross habitat type and associations. Thus knowledge
of this endangered rodent's habitat use and the roles of other species
in affecting habitat use is lacking. Accordingly, I studied habitat
use by live-trapping voles and other rodent species from May through August
1999 in the Hualapai Mountains. Rodents were live-trapped along transects,
and I measured a series of 35 microhabitat variables at each trap station.
I am using principal axes factor analysis and logistic regression analysis
to quantify microhabitat associations and species interactions. My
study is the first to examine and quantify microhabitat use by this endangered
rodent. Data will be used to develop management and conservation
strategies for remaining vole populations and will be vital for state and
federal agencies responsible for the management and conservation of the
Hualapai Mexican vole.
Publications:
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BOYETT, W. D., M. J. Endries, and G. H. Adler. Colonization-extinction
dynamics of opossums on small islands in Panama. Canadian Journal
of Zoology, 78: 1972-1979.
Grants:
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Zoological Society of Milwaukee County Research Grant. 1999.
Habitat use by the endandered Hualapai Mexican vole: implications for conservation.
$1322.
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Last updated 22 February 2002.