Effect of hydrological conditions on reproduction rate and population structure of the European water vole, Arvicola amphibius

Evsikov, V. I.; Muzyka, V. Yu.; Назарова, Г. Г.; Potapova, O. F.; Потапов, М. А.

doi:10.1134/s1067413617030055

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…The study was performed on two groups of water voles kept at the animal facility of the Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Novosibirsk, Russia), under natural lighting conditions with free access to water and feed (carrots, well-steamed grain mixtures, and fresh greens): 1) the wild group (n = 589), i. e., animals that were caught during 1983-2017 in the Ubinsky District of Novosibirsk Oblast (Russia), where comprehensive ecological and physiological studies on a population with pronounced high-amplitude fluctuations of population size (6-7-year cycle) were being conducted (The Water vole …, 2001;Evsikov et al, 2017). After capture, these water voles lived in the vivarium for at least 3 months (290 females and 299 males).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hereditary predisposition of water voles (Arvicola amphibius L.) to seizures in response to handling

Назарова

Proskurnyak

2022

Vestn. VOGiS

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Finding out the hereditary predisposition to seizures in response to specific external stimuli is important for understanding the causes of epileptiform conditions, developing new methods for their prevention and therapies. In the water vole, individuals with convulsive seizures are found both in natural and laboratory conditions. The data of long-lasting maintenance and breeding of water voles in vivarium conditions were analyzed in order to establish a hereditary predisposition to convulsive seizures, and the influence of sex and age on their development. In the vivarium, seizures are provoked by handling and are observed in 2.4 % of voles caught in the natural population with cyclic fluctuations in abundance. Seizures are observed more often in individuals caught in the phases of decline and depression of abundance than in individuals caught in the phases of rise or peak. Convulsive states are probably an element of adaptive behavior formed in the predator-prey system. In natural conditions, individuals predisposed to convulsive seizures may have a selective advantage when under increasing pressure from predators. Convulsive seizures in response to handling were noted in 29.8 % of descendants of captive-bred water voles. The proportion of such individuals increased significantly if one or both parents had convulsive states, which indicates the presence of a hereditary predisposition to seizures. In parent–offspring pairs, a significant correlation was found between the average age of onset of the first seizures in parents and their offspring, r = 0.42, p < 0.01. The minimum age of registration of seizures in the water vole is 39 days, the maximum is 1105 days, and the median is 274 days. Predisposition to seizures is not related to sex. Genes that control the occurrence of seizures have a pleiotropic effect on life span, since individuals with seizures live longer in vivarium conditions than individuals with a normal phenotype. The water vole can serve as a suitable model object for studying the nature of convulsive states and the evolution of longevity.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hereditary predisposition of water voles (Arvicola amphibius L.) to seizures in response to handling

Назарова

Proskurnyak

2022

Vestn. VOGiS

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“…The water vole A. amphibius, a widespread and numerous rodent species in the South of Western Siberia, was selected as one of the objects of the biomonitoring (Ravkin et al, 2009;Gashev, 2013;Erdakov & Litvinov, 2014;Evsikov et al, 2017). In the years of population outbreaks, the species is a mass pest of crops, acting as a significant vector of vector-borne diseases and parasites that are dangerous for human health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) as an object of long-term biomonitoring in a floodplain area (Western Siberia, Russia)

2021

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The paper is devoted to the dynamics of the water vole population in the conditions of total deforestation of valley forests and their subsequent restoration. We analyzed the relative population of small mammals in the typical biotopes in the Tom River basin (Western Siberia) on the border of the forest-steppe and taiga zones. From 1978 to 2019, 1,139 water voles Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym of A. terrestris) were caught with 50-meter trapping grooves; for 788 individuals we assessed the condition of non-metric features (phenes) of the skull. It was found that changes in the population level are non-cyclical, while against the background of a generally low occurrence of the species in the region, the population level increased tenfold in some years. It was shown that such episodic population surges can significantly impact the structure of the community of small mammals. In the valley of the Tom River, the water vole prefers inhabit wet meadows and ecotone areas between the meadow and the dark coniferous taiga forest. During the years of population surges, the water vole intensely occupies new nesting sites due to the dispersal activity of young animals but at the same time retains the original biotopic preferences. Dispersal of the species takes place in waterlogged wetlands. Most of the animals caught during the peak of their numbers were young animals of late broods born from overwintered individuals. The conducted phenetic analysis revealed the heterogeneity of young animals during the population surge, which allowed us to assume the participation of several populations in the formation of the peak. In the final surge year, the surge was characterized by an extremely low percentage of participation in the breeding of young females and the appearance of a large number of weakened animals, which led to crisis in the species population and the disappearance of the water vole from the captures. The research shows that one cannot predict the success of this process at the current stage; therefore, after flooding, it is necessary to continue monitoring.

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Influence of rearing environment on the development of social behavior in male water voles (Arvicola amphibius)

et al. 2021

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Effect of hydrological conditions on reproduction rate and population structure of the European water vole, Arvicola amphibius

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Hereditary predisposition of water voles (Arvicola amphibius L.) to seizures in response to handling

Hereditary predisposition of water voles (Arvicola amphibius L.) to seizures in response to handling

Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) as an object of long-term biomonitoring in a floodplain area (Western Siberia, Russia)

Influence of rearing environment on the development of social behavior in male water voles (Arvicola amphibius)

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