The decision to establish a network of researchers centers on identifying shared research goals. Ecologically specific regions, such as the USA’s National Ecological Observatory Network’s (NEON’s) eco-climatic domains, are ideal locations by which to assemble researchers with a diverse range of expertise but focused on the same set of ecological challenges. The recently established Great Lakes User Group (GLUG) is NEON’s first domain specific ensemble of researchers, whose goal is to address scientific and technical issues specific to the Great Lakes Domain 5 (D05) by using NEON data to enable advancement of ecosystem science. Here, we report on GLUG’s kick off workshop, which comprised lightning talks, keynote presentations, breakout brainstorming sessions and field site visits. Together, these activities created an environment to foster and strengthen GLUG and NEON user engagement. The tangible outcomes of the workshop exceeded initial expectations and include plans for (i) two journal articles (in addition to this one), (ii) two potential funding proposals, (iii) an assignable assets request and (iv) development of classroom activities using NEON datasets. The success of this 2.5-day event was due to a combination of factors, including establishment of clear objectives, adopting engaging activities and providing opportunities for active participation and inclusive collaboration with diverse participants. Given the success of this approach we encourage others, wanting to organize similar groups of researchers, to adopt the workshop framework presented here which will strengthen existing collaborations and foster new ones, together with raising greater awareness and promotion of use of NEON datasets. Establishing domain specific user groups will help bridge the scale gap between site level data collection and addressing regional and larger ecological challenges.

Deer mice play a key role in the forest food web, serving as prey for secondary consumers but also acting as consumers themselves. Many small mammals affect plant communities by consuming seeds, and deer mice are no exception. For mice, the decision to eat or cache maple seeds may depend on differences in the germination schedules of the trees. In temperate North America, northern hardwood forests contain both sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and red maple (Acer rubrum). Red maple seeds fall in late spring and germinate before winter, while sugar maple seeds drop in late summer, are dormant through winter, and germinate the following spring. From the mouse perspective, it is better to store sugar maple seeds, which will last longer in the cache. Red maple seeds are likely to germinate during storage, so it is preferable to eat them immediately. Two species of deer mouse live in these forests: woodland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis,) and white-footed deer mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Compared with white-footed deer mice, woodland deer mice have larger ears relative to body size, and a range that extends farther north. Each has distinct foraging preferences when it comes to maple seeds: woodland deer mice consume red maple seeds preferentially, whereas their white-footed cousins are less discriminating, and include more sugar maple seeds in their diet. Is there a seasonal component to these preferences? Evidence suggests woodland deer mice, the numerically dominant species, are more likely to cache sugar maple seeds, which may increase their overwinter survival, and contribute to their continued dominance in the small mammal community.

Larger predators can affect smaller predators through intraguild predation and competition, which in turn could have indirect effects on other consumers. We investigated whether gray wolves (Canis lupus) generate such effects by reducing predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) on snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). We also examined whether wolves indirectly affect abundances of deer mice (Peromyscus spp.) as part of a wolf–coyote–fox cascade. We compared habitat use by consumers in the high- and low-wolf-use areas of a Great Lakes forest (Wisconsin and Michigan, United States). Coyotes frequented high-wolf-use areas about half as much low-wolf-use areas, which coincided with a tripling of hare browse on saplings in high-wolf-use areas. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Urocyon cinereoargenteus) frequented high-wolf-use areas almost exclusively. Fewer mice occurred in high-wolf-use areas than low-wolf-use areas in 2011 (approximately one-half) and 2013 (approximately two-fifths), but not in 2012, possibly due to increased food supply. We conclude that wolves may generate cascading effects through changes in coyote distribution that benefit hares and foxes, while also reducing the deer mouse population in some years.

The manner in which animals balance their foraging needs with predation risk can inform effective management and conservation possibilities by illuminating the species' natural history. The purpose of this study was to determine whether porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) demonstrated a stronger response to perceived danger posed by a specialist predator (fisher, Martes pennanti) compared to a generalist predator (coyote, Canis latrans). Pairs of wooden stakes soaked in brine were placed in the wooded habitats at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center, located on the border between Wisconsin and Michigan. Each pair consisted of a stake treated with scent (fisher scent or coyote urine) and a control stake that was untreated. Both prey species combined showed a preference for stakes without scent, with porcupines consuming more than hares. In addition, there was a significant interaction between scent and prey species. Porcupines showed a stronger response to fishers than coyotes, whereas hares did not show a differential response to either scent. This is consistent with the fisher's efficient method of killing and consuming porcupines, and the inclusion of hares in the diets of many predator species. Differences between porcupine and hare consumption of stakes is consistent with the foraging and defense styles of both animals.

Factors that affect movement of small mammals include vegetation structure, resource distribution, interspecific interactions and parasitism. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of hot fly (Cuterebra fontinella) parasitism on movement distance [estimated by mean squared distance (MSD)] of white-footed deermice (Peromyscus leucopus), using a repeated measures approach. Although there was no significant effect: of infestation on MSD, there was a nonsignificant trend towards increased movement during infestation for females. In addition, there was no difference in MSD between individuals with single infestations and those harboring several larvae. These results are unexpected given the large size of the parasite relative to the host. Studies of fine-scale temporal movements within a single night could shed further light on the effects of infestation on movement.

Stress placed on individuals in a population from natural and anthropogenic disturbances can elevate developmental instability. We studied the result of a natural disaster when one-third of a forested nature preserve was destroyed by an F3 tornado. Populations of two abundant species of small mammals, Peromyscus maniculatus and P. leucopus, were monitored in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats. We used an X-ray technique to measure developmental instability as indicated by fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in cranial and skeletal features of live animals. FA in femur length was higher in disturbed habitat for P. leucopus but was higher in undisturbed habitat for P. maniculatus. This difference in developmental instability mirrors differences in habitat preference between these species: P. leucopus prefers forest habitat and P. maniculatus prefers open, herbaceous habitat. These results were not explained by either food availability or body condition, both of which were higher in the disturbed habitat suggesting higher quality for this habitat. Thus, the FA response may be related to other indicators of habitat quality, e.g., vertical stratification, coarse-woody debris, or population density, which may differ between undisturbed and disturbed habitats.

Bot flies are common parasites of Peromyscus leucopus, although determination of a cost to the host has been elusive. The goal of this study was to further explore the potential costs of bot fly parasites for a population of P. leucopus. We investigated the effects of parasitism on host condition (mass after controlling for parasite mass and host body length) and survivorship (the number of days animals persisted on trapping grids). Parasitism was quantified by prevalence (proportion of the population infected), intensity (the number of parasites per infected host), and dispersion of parasites within hosts (clumped, regular, or random). In addition, we searched for spatial and temporal patterns in infection. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between population demography and parasitism. Contrary to expectations, we found that infected mice persisted longer on trapping grids and were in better condition than uninfected mice. Also, we discovered that when considering overall infection levels, parasites were clumped within hosts, but when considering the number of simultaneous infections, parasites were randomly distributed among hosts. Although most animals had single infections, there was a high incidence of reinfections, leading to bimodal patterns of parasitism. Prevalence was not correlated with host density, sex ratio, or proportion reproductive, but there were significant relationships between intensity and density and sex ratio in 1 year. In addition, prevalence and proportion of reproductively active animals were asynchronous. These results suggest that bot flies do not impose an obvious cost to their hosts, and hosts may express some degree of tolerance for bot fly parasitism.

The habitat heterogeneity hypothesis states that an increase in habitat heterogeneity leads to an increase in species diversity. We tested this hypothesis for a community of small mammals in the semiarid, sand‐shinnery‐oak ecosystem of the southwestern United States. We used indices of differentiation diversity to quantify differences between two habitat types (blowouts in a sand‐shinnery‐oak matrix) in terms of species diversity. The Wilson‐Shmida index (βT) considers species composition only, whereas the Morisita‐Horn index (CmH) also takes species abundances into account. We constructed null models to test the hypothesis that differentiation diversity between habitat types is greater than that produced by stochastic processes. Two models were constructed, one based on the random placement of species and one based on the random placement of individuals. No evidence supported the hypothesis that habitat heterogeneity enhances diversity of a landscape by increasing the number of species in an area. Indeed, paired habitats were more similar than chance alone would dictate in terms of species identities. In contrast, habitat heterogeneity affects diversity by significantly altering the relative proportions of species in contrasting habitat types. Because seeds differentially accumulate at the interface between blowouts and matrix, the high productivity of the edge may actually homogenize habitat types in terms of species richness. Nonetheless, blowouts might best be considered to be microhabitats which enhance or complement the value of the matrix even though the species which use either habitat type are identical.

The habitat-heterogeneity hypothesis states that an increase in habitat heterogeneity leads to an increase in species diversity. Although community-level analyses of effects of habitat heterogeneity on species diversity are important, they do not reveal the mechanism through which heterogeneity affects diversity. In contrast, habitat associations of particular species suggest a potential mechanism whereby diversity is affected by habitat heterogeneity. The sand-shinnery-oak ecosystem of southwestern United States contains 2 habitat types: blowouts and matrix. Blowouts are small and infrequent wind-formed open patches without shrubs. These disturbances are surrounded by a dense shrub-dominated matrix, mostly containing the low stature oak, Quercus havardii. Habitat associations of particular species with respect to blowouts versus matrix were assessed using capture frequencies and species abundances. Only Dipodomys ordii was more abundant in blowouts than in surrounding matrix, and this only occur-red during summer. This seasonal change could be a consequence of competition or predation. All other species showed a preference for the matrix. Considerations of scale and edge effects between blowouts and matrix may provide additional insight into habitat associations of rodents, leading to a deeper understanding of the mechanistic basis of diversity in this ecosystem.

Vampyrus cirrhosus Spix, 1823:64. No type locality stated in Spix’s description, but on page 53 Spix said the bats were collected in Brazil. Type locality restricted to the state of Pará, Brazil, by Husson (1962:115). Previous restrictions to Pernambuco, Brazil, based on the type locality of Trachops fuliginosus Gray, 1847, are invalid. Ph[yllostoma]. cirrhosum Fischer, 1829:126. Name combination. Vampyris cirrhosum Gray, 1847:14. Emendation of Vampyrus cirrhosus Spix. Trachops fuliginosus Gray, 1847:14. Type locality ‘‘Pernambuco,’’ Brazil (5 Vampyrus cirrhosus Spix). Tylostoma mexicana Saussure, 1860:484. Type locality ‘‘les régions chaudes du Mexique.’’ Questionable whether this bat is actually assignable to the genus Trachops (Goldman 1925). Listed as synonym by Peters (1865) and Dobson (1878). Tylostoma later recognized as a junior objective synonym of Tonatia (Gardner and Ferrell 1990). Trachyops cirrhosus Dobson, 1878:481. First use of name combination and incorrect subsequent spelling of Trachops Gray, 1847. Trachops coffini Goldman, 1925:23. Type locality ‘‘Guyo, Peten, Guatemala.’’ Type locality restricted to ‘‘El Gallo, 8 mi. W Yaxha, on the Remate-El Cayo trail, Petén, Guatemala’’ by de la Torre (1956:189).