The Behavior Patterns of Desert Rodents

Abstract

It is difficult to define a desert in a precise fashion. Arid to semi-arid areas may vary in the form of their vegetation; this ultimately reflects the variation of soil conditions, elevation, temperature, and periodicity of rainfall. Such variation in physical and vegetational features will be paralleled by variations in the species and diversity of rodent faunas exploiting them (Zahavi & Wahrman, 1957; Chew & Chew, 1970). Arid grasslands with intermixed Artemesia characterize a semi-desert habitat over much of the extreme western edge of the Great Plains of the United States. Semi-desert areas supporting mixed growth of low shrubs (termed chaparral) defines much of the semi-arid country in the southwestern, coastal portion of North America. True North American deserts have been classically divided into low elevation and high elevation life zones, the Lower Sonoran and Upper Sonoran respectively (Merriam & Bailey, 1910).