The park's many species of small mammals are important in the flow of energy through the ecosystem: they feed on plants and invertebrates and in turn serve as prey items for a number of species of snakes, birds of prey, and small to mid-sized carnivorous mammals. Through these activities, small mammals may directly influence the speed of forest succession and species composition of developing forests. For example, meadow voles (our 2nd most common small mammal) in grassy habitats eat tree seedlings, and when the voles are abundant, few tree seedlings survive and the field is maintained. However, because they do not like to eat certain tree species, such as white pine and red oak, a forest dominated by those two tree species may eventually develop.