Small Mammal Species Comparison Between Lime Island
and the Eastern Upper Peninsula

William C. Brown
Department of Biology, Lake Superior State Univerity, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
49783

	Abstract.   Islands are small ecosystems that can easily be affected
by human habitation. Lime Island is one of these islands, with history of
human use dating back to the War of 1812. A mark and recapture study was
conducted in early September; 1996 on three habitats found on Lime Island to
see if human habitation of a small island had an effect on the small mammal
populations. Also, to compare population sizes the island and the mainland.
	The habitats selected consisted of an upland hardwood, cedar shoreline
and a residential clearing. Three areas of similar type were selected on the
mainland. Specimens captured were marked with permanent marker on the
front left foot. In addition to the small mammal sets, large mammal sets were
used to determine what types of medium sized mammals were present
(raccoons, skunks, etc.).
	Population estimates on a per acre basis were calculated on the
hardwood areas (woodland deer mice only). The island population was
calculated and the results concluded that there were 123 mice per acre and
only 31.2 mice per acre on the mainland.
	The conclusion was made that even though the results show a difference
in the types of species captured between the two areas, the sample size was
not high enough to rule out the possibility of accidental captures. Possible
reasons for the high numbers of woodland deer mice on the island include less
room for proper dispersal resulting in smaller individual territories or even
possibly overlapping territories.


Edwards, J. May 1995. Lime Island Happenings Exploring the Past. Great Lakes Cruiser
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Jolly, G. M. and Dickson, J. M. Apn1 1983. The Problem of Unequal Catchability in Mark
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