Kotler et al. looked at the effects of cover on the abundance and structure of rodent communities in northeastern Kansas. The study consisted of four plots, each being 0.81 ha in size: two control plots, one plot mowed to 20 cm (mowed four times during study) and one plot was covered with 110 bails of hay, increasing the cover layer by 16 cm. The authors observed a reduction in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and an increase in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) on the mowed plot, while vole numbers increased significantly on the additional cover plot. Kotler et al. suggested that a lack of cover would have a negative effect on a large bodied rodent, like a vole, due to predation, while smaller and quicker species, like the deer mouse, can elude predators in less cover. Since the spike in vole numbers occurred at the same time during the study as a rapid green-up on the cover plot, the authors suggest that vegetation can be used as food, but may be just as important for cover for these rodent species.
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