Clive D. Jorgensen

Reproductive Biology of North American Desert Rodents

The desert environments, as pointed out in previous discussions, have many unique characteristics, but they are also extremely diverse on seasonal, biological, and daily bases. Desert inhabitants, potential inhabitants, and/or invaders have had to confront these unique characteristics and this diversity, and solve their many problems with either morphological, physiological or behavioral adaptation to survive. Since survival is dependent upon this adaptation and the species concomitant successful reproduction, knowledge of reproductive biology is important for a complete understanding of the rodents that occupy North American desert habitats.