Home Range and Territory

Use the capture-mark-recapture data in the table below for thirteen-lined ground squirrels to complete the exercises listed below. Data for ground squirrels were collected on an 18 x 18 station live-trap grid. The traps were set on a grid with one axis aligned North to South and the other aligned East to West. The spacing between traps in each column and each row was 15 meters. The columns are denoted by A through R and the rows 1 through 18.

Capture location data for 13-lined ground squirrels by day

#	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10
Sq #1	A 5	A 8	B 10	C 5	B 7	D 4	A 9	E 5	D 9	E 7
Sq #2	G 12	G 14	L 17	M 16	J 13	H 17	I 12	P 14	Q 17	G 16
Sq #3	M 2	J 5	R 2	N 9	P 8	R 5	L 7	N 9	O 1	L 4
Sq #4	H 8	G 7	E 9	E 11	F 13	G 14	I 14	I 11	K 10	J 7
Sq #5	C 13	E 13	F 13	I 15	G 18	D 18	C 17	A 16	B 14	H 17
Sq #6	M 1	M 3	K 4	K 7	P 1	P 2	Q 3	O 4	N 5	N 7
Sq #7	E 1	F 1	C 2	B 3	C 4	F 3	F 3	I 3	F 5	D 5
Sq #8	F 7	F 9	F 9	G 11	E 11	H 7	I 11	I 8	I 8	J 10
Sq #9	K 15	K 15	J 13	H 12	F 12	E 13	E 15	I 16	H 16	F 17
Sq #10	R 10	R 12	P 10	O 9	Q 14	P 15	N 15	L 12	M 14	M 11

For each animal, diagram the home range using the minimum area method. Label columns (A-R) along the top of your paper with each letter placed on a separate line (not the space between two lines) and label rows (1-18) along the left side of your paper with each number placed on a separate line. The letter-number designations for captures of thirteen-lined ground squirrels listed above should be plotted at the intersection of the column and the row.

Calculate the range length for each animal. Use the formula a²+b²=c², where a and b are the lengths of the sides of a right triangle and c is the length of the hypotenuse of that right triangle.

Estimate the area of each animal's home range. Remember, each trap is separated from the next closest trap by 15 m. Therefore, the sides of each square on your graph paper represent 15 m in the real world and the area for one square is 225 m².