Arianna M. Ramirez, MS

Arianna's Master's Research

The salt marsh harvest mouse is endemic to a brackish marsh ecosystem where it experiences managed and tidal flooding on a regular basis. Previous research done by Smith et al. 2014 reveals that salt marsh harvest mice tend to reside in the same area before, during, and after periods of inundation rather than moving upland to seek refuge. This begs the question of how well these mice are adapted for a wetland environment, and more specifically, if they possess semiaquatic morphological and/or behavioral characteristics. Through a cadaveric drag experiment, kinematic, morphological, and fur hydrophobicity analyses, we want to determine if the salt marsh harvest mouse is in fact specialized for its inundated habitat and utilizes swimming as a means to navigate their environment. Furthermore, we are estimating mechanical swimming efficiency to use as a measure of comparison between the salt marsh harvest mouse and three other species of rodents found in the Suisun Marsh (western harvest mouse, house mouse, and California vole) to conclude if they are truly adapted for their wetland habitat. Determining the salt marsh harvest mouse’s swimming proficiency will provide valuable insight on how they persist in a wetland environment, how they might mitigate disturbances to their environment associated with climate change, and will help provide guidance for their management and conservation.

Arianna in action...