A community of wildflowers growing in a restored prairie in southwestern Wisconsin.

A community of wildflowers growing in a restored prairie in southwestern Wisconsin. The community pictured was open to foraging by meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), resulting in vegetation dominated by species that voles typically do not consume, particularly black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia subtomentosa). In contrast, experimental plots that excluded voles were dominated by plant species that voles typically consume. Thus, small mammals can significantly impact species composition within certain plant communities. This photograph originally appeared on the cover of Ecological Applications (14:5) in October of 2004.