Condition and Diet of Cycling Populations of the California Vole, Microtus californicus

Batzli, George O.; Pitelka, Frank A.

doi:10.2307/1378438

Cited by 183 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…On the strength of such dynamics in numbers it might be concluded that there is a shift of one year in the phase of the cycle in population A in relation to population B. As shown by studies on other rodent species exhibiting fluctuations (K a 1 e 1 a, 1957; Hoffmann, 1958;Krebs, 1964Krebs, , 1970Batzli & Pitelka, 1971;Krebs & Myers, 1974) the populations examined here should differ in 1972, for example with respect of duration of the breeding season, percentage of sexually active females, occurrence of winter breeding in accordance with phases of the cycle. Similar regularities were found for free-living populations of Microtus arvalis (Adamczewska-Andrzejewska, 1974).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…It was found that during the reproductive period the sex ratio changes in favour of females (Stein, 1955;Frank, 1954; P e 1 i k a n, 1959; Poliakov, 1964;Prokofyeva, 1969). In view of the fact that variations in sex ratio also occur in other species of microtines (Greenwald, 1957; Hoffmann, 1958;Batzli & Pitelka, 1971;Lidicker, 1973) and presumably in the common vole also. According to Stein (1953) and Poliakov (1964) this change acts as one of the mechanisms contributing to the regulation of numbers in this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Demographic parameters and variations in numbers of the common vole

Adamczewska‐Andrzejewska¹,

Nabagło²

1977

Acta Theriol.

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Nabagło L., 1977: Demographic parameters and variations in numbers of the common vole. Acta theriol., 22,.Observations were made for two years of the demographic variations in two enclosed populations (A and B) of the common vole Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1779), by means of the CMR method. Variations in numbers followed a similar course in both populations, population A reaching a lower maximum number than B. Both populations were more numerous in the second study year (1972). The greatest rate of increase in numbers (tn = 0.23) took place in May. Maximum increase was found in the number of individuals (f r =0.5-1.0/week/l $) during the period from May to July. In the early summer period the rate of increase in numbers in the populations was found to be limited by the high degree of mortality among the youngest animals. During the reproductive period turnover was 60%-90°/o of the population per month. The ratio of females to males in the population varied from 0.25 to 2.35. The greatest percentage of females was observed during the period of intensive reproduction, and was correlated with the number of recruits to the population. The predominance of females results in higher recruitment and better survival. During the growing season over 60% of the population was formed by individuals which had spent less than one month outside the nest. During autumn of the year with higher numbers the populations were younger than was the case in the year with lower numbers. The more numerous population (B) was younger than the less numerous (A). During the reproductive period the females were older than the males. The study populations were in the phase of rapid population growth, which was accompanied in successive years by longer-lasting numerical predominance of females over males, prolongation of the reproductive period and better survival of new individuals.[Inst. Ecol., Polish Acad. Sci., Dziekanów Leśny, 05-150 Łomianki, Poland].

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic parameters and variations in numbers of the common vole

Adamczewska‐Andrzejewska¹,

Nabagło²

1977

Acta Theriol.

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“…Plant remains were assigned to the following categories: Andropogon, other monocot, dicot, or moss. Because of differential digestibility, fecal samples probably overestimate moss and monocotyledon content of the diet and underestimate forbs (Batzli and Pitelka 1971). However, the bias should be consistent for both species of microtines so that comparisons of diets can still be made.…”

Section: Vegetation Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Coexistence in Synaptomys Cooperi and Microtus Pennsylvanicus

Linzey¹

1984

Ecology

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. These results suggest that in the southern Appalachians, Synaptomys is excluded from preferred habitats by Microtus and, as a result, lives where cover is sparse and food is low in nutritional value. Although these species do compete, this competition is relaxed when Microtus populations decline. When given access to preferred habitats the food habits of Synaptomys change and resemble those of Microtus, suggesting that the ultimate limiting resource is food. The combination of wider habitat tolerances by Synaptomys and temporal variation in intensity of competition allows coexistence of these species on a regional basis. Ecological Society of America

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“…Voles are strict herbivores with high reproductive rates; their populations can fluctuate greatly both between and within years (Taitt and Krebs 1985). When populations are high, voles can consume much of the aboveground plant biomass (Summerhayes 1941, Batzli and Pitelka 1971, Moen et al 1993, Virtanen et al 1997. Thus, the effects of voles on nitrogen dynamics can be pulsed, or discontinuous, in time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and Indirect Effects of Herbivores on Nitrogen Dynamics: Voles in Riparian Areas

Sirotnak¹,

Huntly²

2000

Ecology

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Abstract. Herbivores can directly increase nitrogen mobility by increasing the quality of organic matter entering the decomposition cycle, but they also may decrease nitrogen mobility by decreasing the biomass of high-nitrogen species in the plant community. We assessed effects of voles (Microtus) on nitrogen dynamics using exclosures in two riparian meadows (Crystal Bench and Blacktail Deer Creek) in Yellowstone National Park (USA). At both sites, the quantity of plant litter was decreased by herbivory following a vole population peak in 1992. At Crystal Bench, removal of voles caused a decrease in the nitrogen concentration and an increase in the C:N ratio of plant litter over the four years of the study. The higher quality litter produced in the presence of voles at Crystal resulted in a larger pool of potentially mineralizable nitrogen in soil from control plots relative to soils from plots that had not been accessible to voles. At Crystal, vole removal did not cause a change in plant community composition. However, at Blacktail, after several years of vole exclusion, legumes became more common in exclosures than in control plots that were accessible to voles. Selective herbivory on high-nitrogen legumes kept the litter quality outside exclosures low, whereas higher legume biomass caused a decrease in C:N ratio of plant litter inside exclosures. The removal of voles at Blacktail caused a 15% increase in the fraction of the soil nitrogen that was rapidly mineralizable.Our results show that voles increased nitrogen mobility, especially during and after population peaks. However, that increase was offset by decreases in nitrogen mineralization over longer periods when voles caused a decrease in high-quality plant litter produced by preferred forage plants, especially legumes. Thus, both the mechanisms by which voles affected nitrogen dynamics and the net effects of voles varied over time and space. The balance of direct and indirect effects may provide a general mechanistic explanation of whether herbivores increase or decrease the rate of nitrogen cycling.

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Condition and Diet of Cycling Populations of the California Vole, Microtus californicus

Cited by 183 publications

References 23 publications

Demographic parameters and variations in numbers of the common vole

Demographic parameters and variations in numbers of the common vole

Patterns of Coexistence in Synaptomys Cooperi and Microtus Pennsylvanicus

Direct and Indirect Effects of Herbivores on Nitrogen Dynamics: Voles in Riparian Areas

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