A Reliable Method of Analyzing Dietaries of Mycophagous Small Mammals

Abstract

Two methods of analyzing the dietaries of mycophagous small mammals were compared. Fecal pellets were collected from 11 northern flying squirrels and 12 Townsend's chipmunks, all caught live. In 1 method, pellets from each individual were examined microscopically; in the other, samples from 3 or 4 individuals from each species were pooled and the number of slides and the fields of view used for each slide were reduced, resulting in less time and effort to collect data. Diet analysis by the two methods did not differ significantly for either mammal species.