Why do humans remove coyotes?
Humans often eliminate coyotes and other top predators from natural communities. Removal is generally aimed at increasing game populations, and protecting livestock, pets, and small children. Previous studies indicate that the effect of removing coyotes varies depending on the type of community from which they have been removed.
How long did you monitor mesopredator populations?
After monitoring the mesopredator populations for three years, you plotted the total abundance of badgers, bobcats, skunk, and fox found on treatment and control sites each year (Figure 2). Use these data to interpret the impact of coyote removal on the community of small mammalian predators.
Do kangaroo rats do well in treatment areas?
When you look at the population size of individual rodent species, you realize that the Ord’s kangaroo rat seems to be doing particularly well in treatment areas. Examine the data comparing the rodent diversity in the control and treatment areas before and after coyote removal (Figure 4).