Freezer meals: comparative value of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) push-ups as late-winter forage for a northern ungulate

Jung, Thomas S.; Stotyn, Shannon A.; Larter, Nicholas C.

doi:10.1007/s10344-019-1301-7

“…Clearly, targetted research is needed to assess the effects of ungulate disturbance of snow cover on small mammals. Our observation, in addition to others (e.g., Soper 1941;Matlack et al 2001;Weickert et al 2001;Jung et al 2010Jung et al , 2019, increases understanding of interactions between Bison and small mammals. This observation illustrates ecological interactions that may result from restoring Bison to their native range (Sanderson et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Most of the few studies investigating these relations have focussed on the impact of ungulate grazing on the size of small mammal populations (e.g., Hayward et al 1997;Keesing 1998;Matlack et al 2001;Weickert et al 2001;Torre et al 2007) or the composition of small mammal communities (e.g., Muck and Zeller 2006;Saetnan and Skarpe 2006;Parsons et al 2013). Other ecological interactions between ungulates and small mammals and those from biomes other than grassland, savannah, or temperate forests are less known (but see Keesing and Crawford 2001;McCauley et al 2008;Jung et al 2010Jung et al , 2019Navarro-Castilla et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lepitzki¹

2020

Can Field Nat

0

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The objectives of this Club shall be to promote the appreciation, preservation, and conservation of Canada's natural heritage; to encourage investigation and publish the results of research in all fields of natural history and to diffuse information on these fields as widely as possible; to support and cooperate with organizations engaged in preserving, maintaining, or restoring environments of high quality for living things.

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“…Clearly, targetted research is needed to assess the effects of ungulate disturbance of snow cover on small mammals. Our observation, in addition to others (e.g., Soper 1941;Matlack et al 2001;Weickert et al 2001;Jung et al 2010Jung et al , 2019, increases understanding of interactions between Bison and small mammals. This observation illustrates ecological interactions that may result from restoring Bison to their native range (Sanderson et al 2008).…”

supporting

confidence: 76%

“…Most of the few studies investigating these relations have focussed on the impact of ungulate grazing on the size of small mammal populations (e.g., Hayward et al 1997;Keesing 1998;Matlack et al 2001;Weickert et al 2001;Torre et al 2007) or the composition of small mammal communities (e.g., Muck and Zeller 2006;Saetnan and Skarpe 2006;Parsons et al 2013). Other ecological interactions between ungulates and small mammals and those from biomes other than grassland, savannah, or temperate forests are less known (but see Keesing and Crawford 2001;McCauley et al 2008;Jung et al 2010Jung et al , 2019Navarro-Castilla et al 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Bison (<i>Bison bison</i>) activity fragments subnivean tunnels of small mammals

Jung¹,

Drummond

²

,

Harms

³

2020

Can Field Nat

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Ecological interactions between ungulates and small mammals are generally not well understood. Here, we report an observation of unusually extensive small mammal (likely Meadow Vole [Microtus pennsylvanicus] or Tundra Vole [Microtus oeconomus]) tracks above the snow, exiting from trails and bed sites created by Bison (Bison bison) in northern Canada. We believe that weather and snow conditions were optimal for this observation. Although alteration of above-snow activity of small mammals in response to snow compaction by ungulates is probably not a rare event, it is not often reported. The effect on voles of exiting their subnivean tunnels as a result of Bison activity is unclear, but may be detrimental to their overwinter survival. Ungulate activity compacts snow, fragmenting small mammal tunnels resulting in loss of their insulative value for voles, and making it harder for them to dig new tunnels. Clearly, determining the effect of snow disturbance by gregarious ungulates on voles or other microtines, particularly regarding their overwinter survival, requires detailed investigation. Nevertheless, this observation provides new information on the ecological interactions between ungulates and small mammals, particularly from the boreal forest, where such information is largely lacking.

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