Breeding structure in two field vole populations

Diet Quality Limits Summer Growth of Field Vole Populations

Marked variation occurs in both seasonal and multiannual population density peaks of northern European small mammal species, including voles. The availability of dietary proteins is a key factor limiting the population growth of herbivore species. The objective of this study is to investigate the degree to which protein availability influences the growth of increasing vole populations. We hypot...

Reproductive features of the Russian vole in laboratory breeding.

Reproductive features of newly bred Russian voles (Microtus rossiaemeridionalis) as a laboratory animal were studied. This species is a copulatory ovulator, and most couples copulated 6 to 16 h after pairing. The gestation period varied from 18 to 22 days (mean +/- SD: 20.6 +/- 0.9, n = 72), and the average litter size was 4.6 +/- 1.9 (n = 125). Compared with the litter size at the first partur...

Cowpox virus infection in natural field vole Microtus agrestis populations: significant negative impacts on survival.

1. Cowpox virus is an endemic virus circulating in populations of wild rodents. It has been implicated as a potential cause of population cycles in field voles Microtus agrestis L., in Britain, owing to a delayed density-dependent pattern in prevalence, but its impact on field vole demographic parameters is unknown. This study tests the hypothesis that wild field voles infected with cowpox viru...

Surviving winter: Food, but not habitat structure, prevents crashes in cyclic vole populations

Vole population cycles are a major force driving boreal ecosystem dynamics in northwestern Eurasia. However, our understanding of the impact of winter on these cycles is increasingly uncertain, especially because climate change is affecting snow predictability, quality, and abundance. We examined the role of winter weather and snow conditions, the lack of suitable habitat structure during freez...

Analysis of Seasonal Dynamics of Pine Vole Populations in Two Virginia Orchards