There is a real need to link small-scale patch-based field studies with large landscape regional studies. This project will allow the PI to continue his studies of Microtus pennsylvanicus as the focal species for testing patch dynamics and source/sink models. This experiments use replicated microlandscapes where the ratio of good:poor habitats and dispersal rates are under experimental control. This is accomplished by adding supplemental food to a subset of the patches to create good/poor habitats and the dispersal rates are manipulated by either mowing or not mowing between patches. The model system outlined in this proposal has the potential to study habitat-specific demography of patches of differing quality within linked landscapes, thus allowing the connections between field studies and landscapes to be rigorously examined.
