The federal and state-listed endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris), endemic to the San Francisco Estuary

The Suisun Marsh, California, in and around the Grizzly Islands Wildlife Area, home to the northern subspecies of the salt marsh harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes

The Suisun Marsh is a mosaic of brackish tidal and managed marshes that are flooded on a daily and/or seasonal basis. Small mammals, such as salt marsh harvest mice, are exposed to varying periods of inundation 

Salt marsh harvest mice possess anatomical features that distinguish them from other species and enhance their locomotor performance. See Sustaita et al. (2018) and Woldt et al. (2024).

We study the climbing performance, in terms of gait mechanics and tail use, of salt marsh harvest mice and compare them to co-occurring species to understand if/how they are specialized to do so. See Dulce's page for additional details.

We perform kinematic analyses of the swimming behavior of salt marsh harvest mice in comparison to other co-occurring species to understand how they are adapted for a semiaquatic existence. See Arianna's and Zach's pages for additional details.

We measure grasping forces of salt marsh harvest mice to compare them to other co-occurring species as an additional metric of climbing performance 

We measure the bite forces of salt marsh harvest mice and co-occurring species to determine if/how they relate to their diets as a mechanism for resource partitioning

We measure the fine-scale characteristics of salt marsh harvest mouse habitat, such as vegetation density, stem diameter and compliance, to better understand the ecological context of the morphological and performance traits we study

We endeavor to understand the genetic bases to variation in moprhology and locomotor performance in the salt marsh harvest mouse. We are teaming up with Dr. Mark Statham of the UC Davis Veterinary Genetic Laboratory and Dr. Sergio Nigenda Morales of Cal State San Marcos to understand the functional signifcance of genetic variation. Please see Julian's page for more details.