SQUIRREL NUT PREFERENCE

This topic submitted by JOHN AND JOEY ( egerjw@muohio.edu ) on 10/19/05. [Section: McCollum]

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Introduction:
What would happen if the squirrelÕs preferred food source were eliminated by deforestation? Our lab will discover what the squirrels preferred food source is, to make sure that that source wont be affected by deforestation. We will also explore the possibility of the squirrel enjoying a wide variety of nuts, showing that they are an adaptable species that can survive even if there is an alteration in their daily food intake.
We will use the following nuts in our experiment: Cashews, acorns, walnuts, É.. Using these nuts, we will place one of each on a plate. Using about 5 plates set in strategic areas throughout campus, we will observe and record data concerning which nuts were taken, how many nuts, and in how much time, and if the squirrel took more than one nut Ð which nuts those were as well. We hypothesize that the squirrel will prefer the acorn, meaning that deforestation will most likely not require the squirrel to alter its eating habits because there will be enough oak trees around to supply the squirrel population with enough acorns.

Method:
Data will be taken in an organized and scheduled manner. Five of each type of nut will be placed on each of 5 plates. Each plate will then be placed throughout a plot of land (ex: a quad, or field). Observations will be taken and finalized every half hour. Each plate will be monitored in real time Ð meaning the observer will be able to see it at all times without needing to move from one place to another in order to observe another plate. After that first half hour is up, data is to be recorded, plates collected and reloaded, then placed in another part of campus. This process is to be repeated 3-4 times a day, for at least 3 weeks to ensure accurate readings. These readings should be taken between 11:00 and 5:00, and in the same land plot corresponding to that plotsÕ time slot. Meaning that for example in land plot 1, data should be taken at 11:30 every day.
The class will be included in our data collection. They will be told how to do the step by step laying out of plates and nuts, data recording and the importance of placing them in different land plots. Given that class periods are 2 hours long, with about 15 students in the class, we hope to split the class into about 7 groups of two, each group taking three- half hour observations, yielding about 21 plot readings of data. A data table in the lab will show which nut was taken first Ð and those following if applicable, off of which plate, at what time and land plot it was taken from. It is important to note that readings will not be taken on days of bad weather because it is not worth it to wait out in the rain just to watch squirrels eat nuts. More squirrels will be out on nicer days anyway, yielding more results.

Websites:
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/nutsseeds.html
http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=2173
-ÒObserved a number of squirrels swiming the Ohio and universally passing from the W. to the East shore they appear to be making to the south; perhaps it may be mast or food which they are in search of.Ó
-ÒLewis continued to witness the migration every day for the rest of the week, but wrote no more about this animal. He may or may not have known, but it had already been described and named Sciurus carolinensis by Johann Friedrich Gmelin (1748-1804) in 1788.Ó
-ÒThe common name, squirrel, and the generic name Scuirus is from the Greek skuiros, meaning "shade tail." The average lifespan of an eastern gray squirrel is eight to ten years.Ó
http://wonderclub.com/Wildlife/mammals/greysquirrel.html
http://www.yptenc.org.uk/docs/factsheets/animal_facts/grey_squirrel.html
http://www.noahsarkgardens.co.uk/Wildlife/Mammals/GreySquirrel.htm
http://www.squirrels.org/t_gray.html

Journals:
-Foods and foraging behaviour of red (Sciurus vulgaris) and grey (Sciurus carolinensis) squirrels. Moller H (1983) MammalRev 13:81Ð98
-The American Midland Naturalist Volume: 142, Issue: 1, July 1, 1999. pp. 102-109. SHEALER, D. A., SNYDER, J. P., DREISBACH, V. C., SUNDERLIN, D. F., NOVAK, J. A.
-The American Midland Naturalist Volume: 148, Issue: 2, October 1, 2002. pp. 271-281. SPRITZER, MARK D.
-Journal of Animal Ecology Volume: 73, Issue: 1, January 2004. pp. 26-35.
-Optimal distances for squirrels to transport and hoard walnuts. Gurnell, John, Wauters, Luc A., Lurz, Peter W. W., Tosi, GuidoTamura N, Hashimoto Y, Hayashi F (1999) Animal Behavior 58:635Ð642
-Food habits and caching behavior of urban grey squirrels. Thompson DC, Thompson PS (1980). Can J Zool 58:701Ð710
-Density-dependent survival of scatterhoarded nuts: an experimental approach. Stapanian MA, Smith CC (1984) Ecology 65:1387Ð1396

Books:
ÒEcology and Evolutionary Biology of Tree Squirrels,Ó
Edited by Michael A. Steele, Joseph F. Merritt and David A. Zegers.
Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia.
Species Publication Number 6, 1998.

ÒNorth American Tree Squirrels,Ó
Michael A Steele, John L. Koprowski.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London, 2001.

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