Vertebrate ecologist Keith Geluso studies the distribution and number of species in an ecosystem. He is collecting valuable data to map biodiversity on the Switzer Ranch, which will help inform conservation and rangeland management decisions. Of particular interest to Geluso is the Ord’s kangaroo rat, which prefers an arid, sandy grassland habitat. The Switzer Ranch, situated on the eastern edge of the Sandhills, is ideal habitat for this species. The kangaroo rat primarily feeds on seeds. 

As an ecologist, Geluso studies how these animals move seeds around the landscape. Kangaroo rats gather seeds in their fur-lined external cheek pouches, but cannot eat all at once the seeds that they collect, so they distribute them in small caches or piles buried in the sand to save for later. Often they lose track of these seeds and unintentionally plant them, which contributes to the overall plant biodiversity and productivity of the prairie. The new plants will grow and feed more kangaroo rats and many other organisms—and the cycle will begin again.