The Impact of Humans on the Domestication of Squirrels

The Question:

How do squirrels' reactions to humans differ between wilderness and urbanized areas?

The Hypothesis:

Squirrels living in environments heavily populated by humans will allow closer interaction with humans than squirrels found in less populated areas.

The Procedure:

In order study the behavior of squirrels, we will find squirrels located in different types of places and approach them slowly. When the squirrel begins to react to our presence by moving in the other direction, we will measure the distance between where the squirrel was and where we end up standing. By recording 20-30 trials for approximately three different locations (Western Campus, Main Campus and the woods along the creek.), we will be able to get a well rounded set of data. After we collect all the data, we can compare the numbers using t-tests and other methods to see if there is a difference in squirrels reactions depending on where they live.

Science Journals Relating to the Topic: "The Impact Humans Have on Squirrels and Their Behaviors":

Field experiments on duration and precision of grey and red squirrel spatial memory
http://journals.ohiolink.edu/cgi-bin/sciserv.pl?collection=journals&journal=00033472&issue=v54i0004&article=879_feodapgarssm_muncstgs&search_term=abstract%3D%28squirrels%29
Volume: 54, Issue: 4
MACDONALD, ISABEL M. V., pp. 879-891, October 1997
Score: 46. Article Full-text PDF (159 KB)

Settlement behaviour and population dynamics of reintroduced red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris in a park in antwerp, Belgium
http://journals.ohiolink.edu/cgi-bin/sciserv.pl?collection=journals&journal=00063207&issue=v82i0001&article=101_sbapdoiapiab_svftdsa&search_term=abstract%3D%28squirrels%29
Biological Conservation, Volume: 82, Issue: 1
Wauters, Luc A.; Somers, Lut; Dhondt, André A., pp. 101-107, October 1997
Score: 25. Article Full-text PDF (692 KB)

Why do female Belding's ground squirrels disperse away from food resources? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology,
http://journals.ohiolink.edu/cgi-bin/sciserv.pl?collection=journals&journal=03405443&issue=v40i0003&article=199_wdfbgsdaffr_eofpotnd&search_term=abstract%3D%28squirrel%20behavior%29
Volume: 40, Issue: 3
Nunes, Scott; Zugger, Peter A.; Engh, Anne L.; Reinhart, Kurt O.; Holekamp, Kay E., pp. 199 - 207,
March 26, 1997
Score: 31. Article Full-text PDF (427 KB)

Food preference behaviour of the five-striped squirrel, Funambulus pennanti Wroughton Behavioural
http://journals.ohiolink.edu/cgi-bin/sciserv.pl?collection=journals&journal=03766357&issue=v34i0001&article=55_fpbotfsfpw_pwwsofdt&search_term=abstract%3D%28squirrel%20%20feeding%29
Processes, Volume: 34, Issue: 1
Malhi, C.S.; Kaur, Khushrupinder, pp. 55-65, May 1995
Score: 100. Article Full-text PDF (654 KB)

Subspecific selectivity by a mammalian herbivore: Geographic differentiation of interactions between two taxa of Sciurus aberti and Pinus ponderosa
http://journals.ohiolink.edu/cgi-bin/sciserv.pl?collection=journals&journal=02697653&issue=v12i0007&article=755_ssbamhosaapp_tsoasahs&search_term=abstract%3D%28squirrel%20%20feeding%29
Evolutionary Ecology, Volume: 12, Issue: 7
Snyder, Marc a.; Linhart, Yan B., pp. 755-765, October, 1, 1998
Score: 62. Article Full-text PDF (122 KB)

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