Biotic Regions of Kansas: Mammals and the Environment

Ecologic and biogeographic techniques were used to evaluate biogeographic patterns of mammals in Kansas. Environmental variables, natural vegetation types, and mammalian distributions were subjected to a detrended reciprocal analysis (DRA) and a cluster analysis (CLUST) to assess distributional trends within the state. Objectives of this study were: 1) to investigate the relationships between distribution patterns of mammals and environmental patterns; 2) to investigate the relationships between distribution patterns of mammals and distribution patterns of natural vegetation; 3) to investigate the relationships between natural vegetation and environmental patterns; 4) to assess the degree to which distribution patterns of mammals and natural vegetation correspond with the faunal regions of Brumwell (1941) and Cockrum (1952); and 5) to assess the degree to which changes in distribution patterns of mammals and vegetation occur along the 100th meridian. Results suggest that Kansas has three distinct distributional regions: eastern Kansas to the western edge of the Flint Hills, western Kansas to approximately the 100th meridian, and central Kansas.