In arid and semi-arid environments, burrowing mammals play a key role in increasing landscape heterogeneity through facilitative (positive) species interactions. The loss of burrowing mammal populations can consequently lead to negative effects cascading through the ecosystem; it is therefore critical to understand these facilitative interactions for conservation and management. For instance, wildlife translocations are a popular management tool that are often not successful. Accounting for facilitative interactions during translocation could improve success rates. To investigate the importance of burrow facilitation on San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni) translocation success, we designed a program for antelope squirrels using a natural experiment, with paired sites selected for the presence and absence of a burrowing facilitator, the giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens). We radio collared 97 antelope squirrels from core habitat within the Carrizo Plain. We then translocated 67 to uninhabited lands in their historical range, half to a site with giant kangaroo rats and half without. Over two sessions we observed differences in survival, dispersal and movement, and home range size across the three treatment groups. Our study highlights the importance of considering facilitative interactions when selecting release sites for translocation and planning restoration campaigns.

Patrick Anderson is a thesis-based masters candidate in the Biological Sciences Department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016 with a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation. He currently works with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. He has previously worked with common eastern bumble bees, Utah prairie dogs, northern Idaho ground squirrels, and black-footed ferrets.