Serenaeve

Bibliography Serena Weston

  1) Hamilton Jr., William J., Whitaker Jr., John O. 1979. Mammals of the Eastern United States. United Kingdom: Cornell University Press
  2) Burt, William H. 1976. Mammals. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company
  3)  Whitaker Jr. John O. 1996. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to North American Mammals. New York, NY: Knopf, New York
  4) Wilson, Don E., Ruff, Sue. 1999. The Smithsonian book of North American Mammals. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press
  5)  Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walkers Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition, Volume II. Baltimore and London: John Hopkins University Press
  6)  Horne, Eva A; McDonald, Mark W; Reichman O.J. 1998. “Changes In Cache Over Winter In Artificial Dens of Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma Floridana)” Journal of Mammalogy 79(3) pg 898 Retrieved from http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.com
  7) Williams, Christopher K. 2000. “Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma Floridana) Consumption of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus)” The American Midland Naturalist 143(1) pg 239 Proquest Central
  8) Herrera, Jose; McDonald, Mark W. 1997 “Consumption by Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma Floridana) of Food Infected by Fungi” The American Midland Naturalist 137(2) pg. 282 Proquest Central
  9) Post, Diane; McDonald, Mark; Reichman O.J. 1998. “Influence of Maternal Diet and Perishability on Caching and Consumption Behavior of Juvenile Eastern Woodrats” Journal of Mammalogy 79(1) pg. 156-162 Retrieved from http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.com
  10)Wiley, Robert W. 1980. “Neotoma Floridana Species Account” Mammalian Species No. 139 pg. 1-7 The American Society of Mammalogists
  11)Feldhamer, George A; Thompson, Bruce C; Chapman, Joseph A; 2003. “Neotoma Floridana, Eastern Woodrat” Wild Mammals of North America  Baltimore and London: The John Hopkins University Press
  12)Guilliams, B. B. (n.d.). Neotoma floridana (eastern woodrat). Retrieved November 21, 2016, from http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Neotoma_floridana/

Revised bibliography PRINTED TEXT FROM REFERENCE BOOK Wilson, D. E., & Ruff, S. (1999). The Smithsonian book of North American mammals. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. PRINTED TEXT FROM REFERNECE BOOK Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ANIMAL DIVERSITY Guilliams, B. B. (n.d.). Neotoma floridana (eastern woodrat). Retrieved November 21, 2016, from http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Neotoma_floridana/ ARTICLE Post, D. M., Mcdonald, M. W., & Reichman, O. J. (1998). Influence of Maternal Diet and Perishability on Caching and Consumption Behavior of Juvenile Eastern Woodrats. Journal of Mammalogy, 79(1), 156-162. doi:10.2307/1382850 ARTICLE Herrera, J., & Mcdonald, M. W. (1997). Consumption by Eastern Woodrats (Neotoma floridana) of Food Infected by Fungi. American Midland Naturalist,137(2), 282. doi:10.2307/2426847 ARTICLE Williams, C. K., Why, K. V., & Applegate, R. D. (2000). Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) Consumption of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). The American Midland Naturalist, 143(1), 239-244. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2000)143[0239:ewnfco]2.0.co;2 ARTICLE Horne, E. A., Mcdonald, M., & Reichman, O. J. (1998). Changes in Cache Contents over Winter in Artificial Dens of the Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana). Journal of Mammalogy, 79(3), 898. doi:10.2307/1383097 BOOK Burt, W. H., & Grossenheider, R. P. (1976). A field guide to the mammals: Field marks of all North American species found north of Mexico. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. BOOK Whitaker, J. O. (1996). National Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. New York: Knopf. BOOK Hamilton, W. J., & Whitaker, J. O. (1979). Mammals of the Eastern United States. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Pub. Associates BOOK Wiley, R. W. (1980). Mammalian species (Neotoma Floridana). New York, NY: American Society of Mammalogists.

Outline:

Wilson, D. E., & Ruff, S. (1999). The Smithsonian book of North American mammals. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.ats pick up material for their nes

• Habitat of collecting/storing both food and non food items "pack rat"
• early fall collect/ store fruit/ seeds/ leaves

Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

• Woodrats pick up material for their nests while foraging
• If they find a more attractive substance they will drop material they were carrying and trade for the shiny object
• Hence the term " trade rat", "Pack rat".store non edible objects in dens such as jewelry, silverware
• Eats plant tissues, roots, stems, leaves, seeds and some invertebrates
• don't need to drink much water, get water from plants filled with water such as succulents, cacti, and fruit

Guilliams, B. B. (n.d.). Neotoma floridana (eastern woodrat). Retrieved November 21, 2016, from http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Neotoma_floridana/

• herbivore= eats plants
• folivore= feeds on leaves
• frugivore= feed on fruit
• granivore= feed on grain
• lignivore= thriving on wood
• insectivore= feeds on insects
• eats leaves; roots and tubers; wood, bark, or stems; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
• stores and caches food (store for future use)
• Store fruits, seeds, and leaves in their large middens to eat during winter
• also include many non food items such as jewelry, paper wads, bottle caps, and other shiny objects

5-10% of diet is oak acorns 2-5% of diet greens and fruits 0.5% wood and bark sumac, mesquite, and walnut

• insects make up a very small portion

Post, D. M., Mcdonald, M. W., & Reichman, O. J. (1998). Influence of Maternal Diet and Perishability on Caching and Consumption Behavior of Juvenile Eastern Woodrats. Journal of Mammalogy, 79(1), 156-162. doi:10.2307/1382850

• When searching is dangerous/ unproductive animals often use food stores to supply all or part of diet
• Feasible strategy to avoid food shortage
• value of food when consumed should equal or exceed cost of gathering and storage
• what they store is related to resources available in home range
• varies with each limited area
• juveniles learn by experienced individuals
• food chosen by dryness and degree of microbial infestation
• transmission of info concerning diet

-occur via observation -milk -food particles that cling to hair -olfaction-sense of smell -contact with fecal matter -also evidence to indicate dietary cues can be transmitted before birth

• tend to cache less perishable foods before perishable
• tend to eat perishable before less perishable
• reduces risk of loss of stored foods to spoilage

Herrera, J., & Mcdonald, M. W. (1997). Consumption by Eastern Woodrats (Neotoma floridana) of Food Infected by Fungi. American Midland Naturalist,137(2), 282. doi:10.2307/2426847

• constantly coping with food stores decomposing by microbes
• Woodrats seem to exhibit physiological adaptions allowing them to consume food inhabiting fungi
• fungi can increase nutritional value of some foods by making nutrients within the food more accessible by breaking down complex carbohydrates into monosaccharides and disaccharides
• if there is any nutritional value to fungi infected food, food caching rodents would exploit the resources and benefits
• foods high with probability of fungal growth frequently found in woodrat caches are apples, wild plums, dogwood fruits, and wild grapes

Williams, C. K., Why, K. V., & Applegate, R. D. (2000). Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) Consumption of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). The American Midland Naturalist, 143(1), 239-244. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2000)143[0239:ewnfco]2.0.co;2

• Evidence suggests that woodrats will eat meat if given the opportunity
• snakes, salamanders, mice and quail have all been found in the stomachs of woodrats
• captive woodrats have eaten raw and cooked meat and small animal carcasses
• energy and perishability influence woodrat caching decisions
• geographic variation and habitat quality influence woodrat diets
• in addition to meat researchers have found gnawed bones in caches and believe woodrats use them to sharpen their teeth and for calcium
• only anectodal and limited evidence exits concerning woodrat carnivory
• woodrats do not kill these animals, they find them already dead and then cache them

Horne, E. A., Mcdonald, M., & Reichman, O. J. (1998). Changes in Cache Contents over Winter in Artificial Dens of the Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana). Journal of Mammalogy, 79(3), 898. doi:10.2307/1383097

• variety of food cache depends on the availability of food sources within foraging ranges of individuals
• Eastern Woodrats are medium size rodents and live in woodland habitats and store a variety of foods in a central location in dens for use in winter
• woodrats do not change significantly in weight from autumn to spring
• weight of individuals were not correlated with the kilocalories available in their caches
• some food cahes are lost to cache robbers such as other woodrats or white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus)

Burt, W. H., & Grossenheider, R. P. (1976). A field guide to the mammals: Field marks of all North American species found north of Mexico. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

• feeds chiefly on seeds, fruit, and nuts

Whitaker, J. O. (1996). National Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. New York: Knopf.

• feeds mostly on green vegetation
• also eats various:

 -fruits
 -nuts
 -fungi
 -ferns
 -seeds 

• eats food on site most of summer
• September-October caches food in galleries in top of their stick house

Hamilton, W. J., & Whitaker, J. O. (1979). Mammals of the Eastern United States. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Pub. Associates

• diet of Woodrat varies
• includes plants of its domain
• Fruits and berries including:

-dogwood 
-blackberries
-mountain ash
-wild cherries
-shadberries
-fruits and stalks of pokeweed and sassafrass
-fungi
-ferns
-rhododendron
-host of other plants collected often left in a green condition on rocks, which may indicate a hay-making practice

Wiley, R. W. (1980). Mammalian species (Neotoma Floridana). New York, NY: American Society of Mammalogists.

• woodrats eat 5% of body weight in dry mass each day
• summer months most feeding done while foraging
• only small amounts of food taken back to den for daytime feeding
• Food preferences vary from population to population
• What one population favors, another population might not use in different locale
• grasses are rarely eaten and an insignificant part of diet
• no single species of plant provides the bulk of food
• feeding and caching varies from geographic areas

Texas= pecans are heavily used
Tennessee= seed pods of honey locust, mint, acorns, beechnuts
Pennsylvania= mushrooms
Common major food sources are acorns, sumac fruit and bark, poison ivy, and dogwood 

• acorns are used the most by all woodrats and are very valuable caches due to long shelf life, does not perish fast
• gnawed bones often found in midden piles
• bones used to sharpen teeth and provide mineral nutrients
• drinking water not needed
• although captive woodrats will drink if given the opportunity
• woodrats obtain water from dew, and succulent vegetation
• can survive during drought seasons on water obtained from metabolism of food

Rough Draft

EASTERN WOODRAT (NEOTOMA FLORIDANA)
 Eastern Woodrats are known for their foraging and caching habits. When searching for food is dangerous or unproductive animals often use food stores to supply all or part of their diet. This is a feasible strategy to avoid food shortage. It is the habit of collecting and storing both food and nonfood items that has earned the Eastern Woodrat is other common name of “pack-rat” or “trade rat”.  Woodrats will drop the object they are carrying for a more desirable one (Wilson).
 Eastern Woodrats eat about 5% of their body weight in dry mass each day. During the summer months, most feeding is done while foraging. Only small amounts of food are taken back to the den for daytime feeding (Wiley). Woodrats do not change significantly in weight from autumn to spring. Weight of individual woodrats is not correlated to the kilocalories in their caches (Horne). 
 Starting in September, the woodrat will start to forage and store food in its midden for use and survival in the winter (Whitaker). Although cache does not serve as the sole source of winter diets, caches examined yielded as much as a bushel of plant material (Wilson).
 Woodrats have great adaptability in their feeding habits. They feed on almost any kind of plant material including leaves, roots and tubers, wood, bark, stems, and seeds (Guilliams). Although the Eastern Woodrats eat mostly green vegetation, they also eat various types of fruits, nuts, fungi, ferns, and seeds (Whitaker). 
 Food preferences vary from population to population. What one population may favor, another may not use (Wiley). Variety of food cache depends on the availability of food sources within foraging ranges of individuals (Horne). Woodrat feeding and caching habits vary from one geographic area to another.

In Texas, pecans are a major food source for the Eastern Woodrat. In Tennessee, mint and beechnuts were found to be the most cached item. In Pennsylvania, mushrooms were one of the top food items found in their middens (Wiley).

 Acorns, the nut of an oak tree, are a major food source for all Woodrat populations. Oak trees are found throughout the Woodrat’s habitat from Texas to New York. Acorns are considered a valuable caching item due to the acorn’s long shelf life (Wiley). 

Energy and perishability influence the woodrat’s diet and caching. The value of food when consumed should equal or exceed the cost of gathering and storage (Post, McDonald, Reichman). Food is chosen by dryness and degree of microbial infection. Woodrats tend to eat perishable food and cache less perishable foods. This strategy reduces the risk of stored foods being loss to spoilage.

 Woodrats are constantly coping with food stores decomposing by microbes. Woodrats seem to exhibit physiological adaptions, allowing them to comsume food inhabited by fungi. Fungi can increase nutritional value of some foods by making nutrients within food more accessible by breaking down complex carbohydrates into monosaccharides and disaccharides. If there is any nutritional value to fungi infected foods, caching rodents, such as the Woodrat, would definitely exploit those resources and benefits (Herrera). 
 Although Woodrats are herbivores, evidence suggests that Woodrats will eat meat if given the opportunity. Snakes, salamanders, mice, and quail have all been found in stomachs of Woodrats (Williams). In addition to meat, researchers have found gnawed bones in caches and believe Woodrats use them to sharpen their teeth and for mineral nutrients. Only anectodal evidence exists concerning Woodrat carnivory(Nowak,Williams). Being an opportunist, The Woodrat will cache a carcass if given the chance. 
 Drinking water is typically not needed. Woodrats get the water they need from dew, water containing plants such as succulents, and fruit. The Eastern Woodrat can survive during drought seasons on water obtained from metabolism of food (Wiley).
 Eastern Woodrats receive transmission of information regarding diet in a variety of ways from birth to juvenile. Woodrats start to get diet cues via their mother's milk. They also get cues from coming in contact with food particles that are stuck to the fur, and any fecal pellets in the den. After the young ween from their mother they learn other food cues from olfaction(sense of smell) and observation of other experienced woodrats. Evidence also indicates that dietary cues can be transmitted to offspring before birth(Post, McDonald, Reichman). Transmission cues can greatly reduce the costs of foraging, especially juvenile woodrats, who are particularly vulnerable to environmental stress. Woodrats are solitrary foragers.  Juveniles that have left the nest, can no longer learn by observation and must rely strictly on diet cues given to them by their mother.