Longitudinal trapping reveals differences in small mammal diversity and community composition between agriculture and shortgrass prairie

Abstract Grasslands in the Great Plains face threats such as agriculture conversion, yet the long-term impacts of this shift on small mammal communities remain underexplored. Using a decade of trapping data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), we compared small mammal diversity and community composition between a native shortgrass prairie site and an active agricultural site in Colorado, United States. We found no significant difference in species richness between the two habitats; however, the shortgrass prairie exhibited significantly higher diversity. Community composition diverged substantially between sites. The prairie site was characterized by species such as Perognathus flavus , Reithrodontomys megalotis , and Dipodomys ordii , while the agricultural site was dominated by generalists like Peromyscus maniculatus , Onychomys leucogaster , and the non-native Mus musculus . Indicator species analysis identified distinct species associated with each habitat, reinforcing these patterns. Additionally, small mammal communities at the prairie site showed greater temporal variability, whereas agricultural communities were more stable across years. These findings highlight the ecological consequences of agricultural conversion, particularly the reduction of small mammal diversity and the displacement of prairie specialists by generalists. Our study underscores the value of long-term monitoring in detecting persistent community changes and advocates for a focus on community composition—not just species richness—when assessing habitat quality and ecological impacts. This research has implications for conservation strategies in grassland systems threatened by continued agricultural expansion.