HAYSMITH: NEOTOMA F. FLORIDANA IN NORTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA


lack of water, and other impacts on vegetation. Dependence by woodrats on
drinking water for metabolic requirements is probably minimal; researchers have
shown that Neotoma obtain their drinking water requirements primarily from
vegetation (Linsdale and Tevis 1951; Dial 1988). Reduction in rainfall therefore,
would likely impact woodrat populations primarily through vegetational changes.
Neotoma f floridana are largely herbivorous in their feeding requirements. They
consume a wide variety of plants (Voeten 1990), but dependence on specific plant
products, such as oak mast, has been suggested by Murphy (1952) and Neal (1967)
among other researchers. If long-term drought conditions reduce plant production
such as fruiting and flowering, reduction in one or several major food resources
could also influence woodrat densities.
 Resource scarcity can likewise affect reproduction which may be a critical
factor for Neotoma because of its lower reproductive rate. Fitch and Rainey (1956)
recorded declines in woodrat densities over a several year period. Neal (1967)
documented sharp declines in a two year period. These researchers attributed the
population declines to poor acorn crops and harsh winter conditions. Finally,
secondary and compounded effects from declines in rainfall could affect plant
resources and thus influence prey movement patterns as well as predator behavior
(i.e. concentrations of predators in mesic habitats), which could influence densities
of woodrat populations that live in these restricted mesic hammocks.


 Home Range and Activity


 Activity patterns of Neotoma observed in this study are similar to the activity
periods observed by Wiley (1971), with high activity peaks between 2000 and 2200
h. Peaks of activity may be related to environmental variables, such as changes in
temperature, precipitation, or light. Activity may also be influenced by foraging
and gathering activities, related to the compulsive habit of woodrats to collect and
store large quantities of food and other items in their dens (Worth 1950).
 Numerous factors may influence the home range size and movement patterns
 of woodrats such as: density fluctuations of woodrats in all study sites, year round
 reproductive activity, the presence or absence of horizontal and vertical vegetation
 complexity, and use of multiple dens. These factors most likely influence the high
 variability of home range sizes observed in this study.
 The importance of food resources to woodrat activities is apparent; while
 Neotomafloridana do not depend on single plant taxa, they are undoubtedly highly
 tuned to micro- and macro-distribution of food resources, plant phenologies, and
 environmental variables. Food resources likely influence woodrat movement
 patterns and home range size, but are extremely difficult to quantify. Fitch and
 Rainey (1956) documented changes in home ranges over time, attributing it to
 changes in food resources. Therefore, the variability in home range size over time