Ecological Observations on the Woodrat, Neotoma floridana

"Ecological Observations on the Woodrat, Neotoma floridana" by Henry S. Fitch is a scientific exploration from the 1950s that uncovers the life of the eastern woodrat and its place in nature. The study tracks the woodrat’s changing numbers over eight years at the University of Kansas Natural History Reservation, showing how weather, land changes, and growing plants affect them. Readers discover where these woodrats prefer to live, what they like to eat, how they breed, and how their population size is impacted by their environment. The book highlights that woodrats have an important job in their ecosystem, changing plant life and even providing homes for other animals when they leave their old houses. The research shows a drop in the number of woodrats after they were doing well, explaining that predators and other problems put pressure on them, making this a source of important data for future scientists studying this animal and its environment.