Journal articles: 'Ecology of the vole][Vole reproduction'

1

van Rosmalen, Laura, Jayme van Dalum, David G. Hazlerigg, and Roelof A. Hut. "Gonads or body? Differences in gonadal and somatic photoperiodic growth response in two vole species." Journal of Experimental Biology 223, no. 20 (September 11, 2020): jeb230987. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.230987.

Full text

Abstract:

ABSTRACTTo optimally time reproduction, seasonal mammals use a photoperiodic neuroendocrine system (PNES) that measures photoperiod and subsequently drives reproduction. To adapt to late spring arrival at northern latitudes, a lower photoperiodic sensitivity and therefore a higher critical photoperiod for reproductive onset is necessary in northern species to arrest reproductive development until spring onset. Temperature–photoperiod relationships, and hence food availability–photoperiod relationships, are highly latitude dependent. Therefore, we predict PNES sensitivity characteristics to be latitude dependent. Here, we investigated photoperiodic responses at different times during development in northern (tundra or root vole, Microtus oeconomus) and southern vole species (common vole, Microtus arvalis) exposed to constant short (SP) or long photoperiod (LP). Although the tundra vole grows faster under LP, no photoperiodic effect on somatic growth is observed in the common vole. In contrast, gonadal growth is more sensitive to photoperiod in the common vole, suggesting that photoperiodic responses in somatic and gonadal growth can be plastic, and might be regulated through different mechanisms. In both species, thyroid-stimulating hormone β-subunit (Tshβ) and iodothyronine deiodinase 2 (Dio2) expression is highly increased under LP, whereas Tshr and Dio3 decrease under LP. High Tshr levels in voles raised under SP may lead to increased sensitivity to increasing photoperiods later in life. The higher photoperiodic-induced Tshr response in tundra voles suggests that the northern vole species might be more sensitive to thyroid-stimulating hormone when raised under SP. In conclusion, species differences in developmental programming of the PNES, which is dependent on photoperiod early in development, may form different breeding strategies as part of latitudinal adaptation.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Brommer, Jon E., Hannu Pietiäinen, and Heikki Kolunen. "Reproduction and Survival in a Variable Environment: Ural Owls (Strix Uralensis) and the Three-Year Vole Cycle." Auk 119, no. 2 (April 1, 2002): 544–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/119.2.544.

Full text

Abstract:

Abstract We analyzed data on 535 Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) breeding attempts and consecutive survival of both adults and offspring from 1987–1998 in relation to the regional abundance of the Ural Owl's main prey, voles, which show a cycle of low, increase, and peak phases in their population numbers. Vole abundance varied up to 49×, crashing during spring–summer every three years. The breeding population tracked abundance of voles in the previous autumn with respect to percentage of pairs breeding and their reproductive output (laying date, clutch size), largely irrespective of phase. Survival depended on vole density in the preceding autumn, but was generally highest in the increase phase. There was thus a paradoxical situation in the peak phases, when vole populations crashed; the owls produced large clutches, but those survived poorly. Some adaptive and nonadaptive scenarios of the Ural Owl's life history are discussed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Dehn, M. M., R. C. Ydenberg, and L. M. Dill. "Experimental addition of cover lowers the perception of danger and increases reproduction in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 95, no. 7 (July 2017): 463–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2016-0169.

Full text

Abstract:

Predation danger is pervasive for small mammals and is expected to select strongly for behavioural tactics that reduce the risk. In particular, since it may be considered a cost of reproduction, predation danger is expected to affect the level of reproductive effort. We test this hypothesis in a population of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord, 1815)) under seminatural conditions in field enclosures. We manipulated the voles’ perception of predation danger by adjusting the available cover and measured giving up density (GUD) in food patches to verify that the perception of danger differed between high- and low-cover treatments. Treatments did not differ in actual predation rate, in vole density, or in the quantity or quality of food. During the experiments, we measured indices of vole reproductive effort including activity (electronic detectors), foraging intensity (fecal plates), and the number of young produced (livetrapping). Voles in the high-cover (lower danger) treatments were more active, foraged more, and produced 85% more young per female per trap period than voles in the low-cover (higher danger) treatment. We briefly discuss the population consequences of this adaptive behavioural flexibility.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Wolff, Jerry O., Tiffany Fox, Robert R. Skillen, and Guiming Wang. "The effects of supplemental perch sites on avian predation and demography of vole populations." Canadian Journal of Zoology 77, no. 4 (September 15, 1999): 535–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z99-002.

Full text

Abstract:

We erected supplemental perches to evaluate their effectiveness in attracting perching raptors and to determine if an increase in raptor visitation could affect vole demography. Our model experimental system consisted of six 0.2-ha enclosures containing gray-tailed vole, Microtus canicaudus. The availability of supplemental perch sites had no effect on northern harriers, Circus cyaneus, but resulted in an 11-fold increase in visitation by American kestrels, Falco sparverius. This increased predation pressure did not affect vole population size, growth rate, or adult survival. However, juvenile recruitment and the proportion of reproductive females were lower in treatment sites than in control sites. Male voles had smaller home ranges and were less active than expected, which may have been an avoidance response to predation risk. High densities of voles, adequate cover in treatment sites, and good foraging areas with less cover in surrounding habitat may have negated the effects of the availability of supplemental perch sites. We conclude that adding perches can increase raptor visitation substantially but may have little effect on high-density vole populations.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Simmons, Robert, Phoebe Barnard, Bruce MacWhirter, and Gay L. Hansen. "The influence of microtines on polygyny, productivity, age, and provisioning of breeding Northern Harriers: a 5-year study." Canadian Journal of Zoology 64, no. 11 (November 1, 1986): 2447–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z86-365.

Full text

Abstract:

Breeding Northern Harriers, Circus cyaneus, and their principle prey, the vole Microtus pennsylvanicus, underwent synchronous fluctuations in New Brunswick between 1980 and 1984. Microtines were abundant in 1980 and 1983 and were significantly tracked by the number of nesting harriers (r = 0.90), the number of polygynous males (r = 0.89), the number of harem females (r = 0.90), and the mean clutch size (r = 0.94), but not the reproductive success of successful females (r = 0.72). Male nest defence likewise exhibited a strong relationship (r = 0.99, n = 3) with prey abundance, but nest predation did not. An unexpected association with prey abundance was the greater proportion of young females (≤ 2 years) breeding at vole lows; the reverse was true for yearling males. Young females that did breed at vole highs were significantly more productive than were old females breeding at highs. The difference arose principally through nest predation. Successful females also consistently reared significantly greater proportions of their hatchlings when voles were increasing than when they were decreasing. Our results suggest that New Brunswick harriers were affected by prey fluctuations in most aspects of their reproduction and population dynamics. Significant correlations between male food provisioning rates and clutch size and reproductive success over 3 years provide a proximate mechanism through which fecundity may vary annually. They may also provide a proximate pathway mediating for polygyny.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Smorkatcheva, A. V., A. R. Kumaitova, and K. V. Kuprina. "Make haste slowly: reproduction in the Zaisan mole vole (Ellobius tancrei)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 94, no. 3 (March 2016): 155–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2015-0051.

Full text

Abstract:

Mole voles are the most specialized subterranean members of the subfamily Arvicolinae. We assess the basic reproductive parameters of the Zaisan mole vole (Ellobius tancrei Blasius, 1884) and compare our data with the characteristics reported for other Ellobius species and surface-dwelling voles. In most respects, reproduction of the E. tancrei follows the pattern that is typical for voles. Females undergo postpartum estrus, but rarely combine pregnancy with lactation. The rate of embryonic and postembryonic growth (0.13 and 0.54 g/day, respectively) are slightly lower, whereas the relative neonate and weanling masses (8% and 40% of maternal mass, respectively) are slightly higher than the respective values predicted for non-subterranean arvicolines. The combination of these trends results in the protracted pregnancy and lactation (both ∼30 days). The age at first breeding is delayed (>2.5 months). Despite heavy weanlings, total maternal investment per litter in E. tancrei is low due to small litter size (2.31). Although the species of Ellobius are similar to each other by the parameters of developmental time, they vary by litter size, total investment per litter, and possibly by relative neonate body mass. This is consistent with the idea that when body-size effect is removed, fecundity variables and degree of precociality at birth are dissociated from timing variables.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Ostfeld, Richard S., and Robert H. Tamarin. "The role of seasonality in vole cycles." Canadian Journal of Zoology 64, no. 12 (December 1, 1986): 2871–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z86-414.

Full text

Abstract:

We examined the assertion that seasonal fluctuations in food availability are necessary for vole cycles to take place by studying the dynamics of a California vole (Microtus californicus) population inhabiting a relatively aseasonal environment. That population was one of the most stable (noncyclic) microtine populations yet described. Reproduction was comparatively aseasonal but appeared to be suppressed at high population density. We suggest that the role of seasonality in vole population fluctuations deserves further study.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Hilton, B. L. "Reproduction in the Mexican Vole, Microtus mexicanus." Journal of Mammalogy 73, no. 3 (August 21, 1992): 586–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1382029.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Trebatická, Lenka, Paula Suortti, Janne Sundell, and Hannu Ylönen. "Predation risk and reproduction in the bank vole." Wildlife Research 39, no. 5 (2012): 463. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wr12012.

Full text

Abstract:

Context Life-history strategies are the means that organisms use to achieve successful reproduction in environments that vary in time and space. Individual animals maximise life-time reproductive success (LRS) through optimal timing of reproduction and investment in offspring. A crucial factor affecting LRS is predation risk in a highly seasonal environment. According to the breeding-suppression hypothesis (BSH), females should delay breeding under short periods of high predation risk. Delayed breeding under risk is suggested to have substantial consequences for females’ fitness. Aims We tested the BSH in an iteroparous boreal small rodent, the bank vole, Myodes glareolus. Methods We used caged-live weasels and spread weasel scent to simulate increased predation risk in four of eight 0.25-ha outdoor enclosures. We monitored females’ reproduction in three periods (May, July, August), i.e. during the breeding season over the course of summer. Key results Contrary to our main prediction, predation risk did not affect timing of mating, pregnancy rate or litter size in any study period. Conclusions and implications We conclude that during the short but resource-rich breeding season of boreal summer, postponing breeding does not seem to be an optimal strategy for females, even under high risk of predation. Under favourable summer condition, i.e. in circumstances without any constraining factors such as food or conspecific density, females manage to balance the costs of predation against benefits of resource availability and do not suppress breeding. Although the BSH has been studied widely, also our results reveal the intricacies of this adaptive behaviour.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Karell, Patrik, Hannu Pietiäinen, Heli Siitari, Tuomo Pihlaja, Pekka Kontiainen, and Jon E. Brommer. "Parental allocation of additional food to own health and offspring growth in a variable environment." Canadian Journal of Zoology 87, no. 1 (January 2009): 8–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z08-133.

Full text

Abstract:

Life-history theory predicts increased investment in current reproduction when future reproduction is uncertain and a more balanced investment in current and future reproduction when prospects for both are good. The outcome of the balance in parental allocation depends on which life-history component maximizes the fitness benefits. In our study system, a 3-year vole cycle generates good prospects of current and future reproduction for Ural owls ( Strix uralensis Pallas, 1771) in increase vole phases and uncertain prospects in decrease vole phases. We supplementary-fed Ural owls during the nestling period in 2002 (an increase phase) and 2003 (a decrease phase), and measured offspring growth, parental effort, and physiological health by monitoring haematocrit, leucocyte profiles, intra- and inter-celluar blood parasites, and (in 2003) humoral antibody responsiveness. Food supplementation reduced parental feeding rate in both years, but improved a female parent’s health only in 2002 (an increase phase) and had no effects on males in either year. Nevertheless, supplementary-fed offspring reached higher asymptotic mass and fledged earlier in both years. Furthermore, early fledging reduced offspring exposure to blood-sucking black flies (Diptera, Simuliidae) in the nest. We discuss how parental allocation of resources to current and future reproduction may vary under variable food conditions.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Bartolommei, Paola, Cristina Bencini, Andrea Bonacchi, Stefania Gasperini, Emiliano Manzo, and Roberto Cozzolino. "Difficulty in visual sex identification: a case study on bank voles." Mammalia 83, no. 1 (December 19, 2018): 70–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2017-0170.

Full text

Abstract:

Abstract The present study aims at quantifying the error in visual sexing of live-trapped bank voles and evaluating if animal body weight and experience of field workers affected the ability to determine the sex of voles. The error in sex attribution involved 25.6% of non-reproductive individuals, pointing out the need to validate the field sex identification. Body weight of voles did not affect the ability of trappers to visually discriminate the sex of animals. Field workers had similar percentages of error independently of their expertise in vole sexing but they also showed a sex-bias in wrongly sexed individuals.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Karlsson, A. Fredric. "Interindividual proximity and the probability of winter survival in the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus." Canadian Journal of Zoology 66, no. 8 (August 1, 1988): 1841–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z88-266.

Full text

Abstract:

Interindividual proximity was examined during two prewinter seasons as a possible demographical agent in a bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) population near Uppsala, Sweden. While the proportion of nonoverwintering voles found in clusters in the 1st year was approximately the same (40%) from October to December, in the 2nd year, with lower population density, it fluctuated from 20 to 80%. Mean number of voles per shared center of activity was approximately the same (2–2.3) during all months compared. In October 1983 the proportion in these centers of nonoverwintering compared with overwintering voles was significantly lower. Individuals that shared centers compared with those that never did survived better and center sharing occurred significantly more often than was expected by chance. The change of centers of activity to more rocky from less rocky environments among nonoverwintering voles significantly more often resulted in center sharing. In overwintering but not in other females there was a strong positive correlation between the choice of microhabitat and month. As the prewinter season progressed, the preference of overwintering females for the most rocky environments increased. In males no significant pattern was observed. Proximity, though possibly primarily an effect of microhabitat preference, may increase the chance of both survival and successful reproduction in the following spring.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

Johannesen, Edda, and Harry P. Andreassen. "Survival and reproduction of resident and immigrant female root voles (Microtus oeconomus)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 76, no. 4 (April 1, 1998): 763–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z97-249.

Full text

Abstract:

Many spatially explicit population models assume that residents and immigrants have equal vital rates (survival and reproduction). We tested this assumption by using root vole (Microtus oeconomus) populations in an experimental setting where habitat patches were embedded in an uninhabitable transition habitat. Place of birth and matrilineal relations were known for all animals in 12 different populations. Females were classified as residents or immigrants depending on whether they stayed and reproduced in their natal patch or settled and reproduced in a foreign patch. We compared survival probabilities, derived from the Jolly-Seber-Cormack model, and reproductive parameters between resident and immigrant root vole females. We found no difference between residents and immigrants for any of the parameters examined. Nor did we find any significant difference in net reproductive rate (R0) derived from Leslie models utilizing estimated demographic parameters for residents and immigrants. We conclude that the assumption of equal vital rates may be justified, at least at the spatial scale considered in this study.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Wolff, Jerry O., Alexander G. Ophir, and Steven M. Phelps. "Asynchronous breeding in the socially monogamous prairie vole." Canadian Journal of Zoology 86, no. 5 (May 2008): 339–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z08-005.

Full text

Abstract:

At least two hypotheses have been proposed for why animals should breed synchronously: (1) to swamp predators and reduce the probability of offspring being killed and (2) to promote monogamy when paternal care is important for offspring survival. Thus prey and monogamous species are likely candidates for synchronous breeding. We conducted an experiment to determine if a prey species, the monogamously breeding prairie vole ( Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)), breeds synchronously. We conducted eight replicates in which we placed six nulliparous females and six adult males in semi-natural enclosures for 18–21 days to determine if they bred synchronously. The time of conception ranged from 2 to 18 days within replicates with no indication of breeding synchrony within any of the populations. Thus neither predator avoidance nor paternal care models were supported for prairie voles. We conclude that rodents in general are not good models for breeding synchrony and that females use alternative mating tactics to enhance their lifetime reproductive success. We discuss our results in the context of the prairie vole mating system.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Chitty, Dennis. "Social and local environments of the vole Microtus townsendii." Canadian Journal of Zoology 65, no. 10 (October 1, 1987): 2555–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z87-385.

Full text

Abstract:

Why do vole populations usually stop increasing before they run out of food, then decline to a phase of low numbers and low body weights? Here I test the hypothesis that indefinite increase is prevented by spacing behaviour and that the decline is due to selection against the phenotypes present during the increase and early peak phases. This hypothesis implies that, by establishing a stock of voles born in a phase of increase, one can produce peak populations out of phase with a decline in a natural cycle. Using such voles, I established increasing and peak populations on trapped-out areas of grassland near Vancouver, British Columbia. At first these populations remained abundant during a decline in a natural population in spring 1976. This decline, however, was not followed by a definitive low phase but by an immediate return to a peak. Also, despite good reproduction and survival before the middle of March 1976, numbers of the experimental animals then declined further than expected. Failure to produce out-of-phase populations seems to have been due to the falsity of two assumptions: (i) that increase-phase voles are innately docile and (ii) that selection necessarily occurs at high densities. Instead of being docile during the increase phase, voles are, I now suggest, so aggressive towards strangers that they maintain discrete family groups. But amicable behaviour within groups, if disrupted by hostile behaviour between them, would explain why increase stops or is interrupted by a temporary decline. By contrast, a 2- to 3-year period of decline or a refractory phase of low numbers and low body weights is more plausibly explained by a change in behaviour due to natural selection. A decline in 1977–1980, associated with poor survival and reduced body weight, may therefore be attributed to a change in the social rather than the local environment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Hasbrouck, J. J., F. A. Servello, and R. L. Kirkpatrick. "Influence of Photoperiod and Nutrition on Pine Vole Reproduction." American Midland Naturalist 116, no. 2 (October 1986): 246. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2425732.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Stevenson, K. T., I. G. van Tets, and L. A. I. Nay. "The seasonality of reproduction in photoperiod responsive and nonresponsive northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus) in Alaska." Canadian Journal of Zoology 87, no. 2 (February 2009): 152–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z08-147.

Full text

Abstract:

High-latitude arvicoline rodents usually reproduce in warmer months, but winter breeding has been documented in several species, including the northern red-backed vole ( Myodes rutilus (Pallas, 1779) Wilson and Reader, 2005; formerly Clethrionomys rutilus (Pallas, 1779)). We tested whether the reproductive condition of the species is linked to changes in environmental parameters or its body condition, and we tested the frequencies at which different reproductive phenotypes are exhibited under field and laboratory conditions. Free-living voles in south-central Alaska reached peak reproductive organ masses in spring (females) and early summer (males). Between-subject comparisons showed an effect of body mass, photoperiod, percent fat, temperature, and snow depth on reproductive organ masses, depending on the sex and breeding period (p < 0.05). One instance of late-summer photoperiod nonresponsiveness was observed, but we detected no winter breeding. Captive male voles given food ad libitum and housed at room temperature exhibited strong phenotypic variation in testis mass in response to short photoperiods. The percentage of nonresponders was 28.2% and was within the known range of nonresponsiveness for lower latitude species (20%–40%). Thus, photoperiod nonresponsive morphs are conserved in at least one arctic and subarctic species at frequencies comparable to lower latitude voles despite no observance of winter breeding in the field. Voles exhibit reproductive elasticity and may breed in winter if environmental conditions enable them.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

VON BLANCKENHAGEN, Felix, Jana A. ECCARD, and Hannu YLÖNEN. "Animal protein as a reproductive constraint in spring reproduction of the bank vole." Ecoscience 14, no. 3 (2007): 323. http://dx.doi.org/10.2980/1195-6860(2007)14[323:apaarc]2.0.co;2.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Batzli, George O. "Nutritional Ecology of the California Vole: Effects of Food Quality on Reproduction." Ecology 67, no. 2 (April 1986): 406–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1938583.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Lourenço, Rui, António Mira, Sara Santos, and Maria da Luz Mathias. "Spatial and temporal ecology of the Lusitanian pine vole (Microtus lusitanicus) in a Mediterranean polyculture." Animal Biology 60, no. 2 (2010): 209–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157075610x496306.

Full text

Abstract:

AbstractIn this study we report the first data on the spatial ecology of the Lusitanian pine vole (Microtus lusitanicus). Data report to the breeding season and to a traditional Mediterranean agricultural landscape in Central Portugal, using radio-telemetry methods. We documented large home range areas with values of 1042 m2 for males and 862 m2 for females (MCP method; 95% kernel method with values of 229 m2 and 159 m2 for males and females, respectively). Although no significant differences between sexes or reproductive status were found, longer daily movements were observed in reproductively inactive males. Pair bonding and home range overlap was observed between males and females, as well as between females and sub-adults. Voles showed no distinct preference for day or night for activity periods and movements. However, this result was dependent on sex, reproductive status and time of day. Voles revealed habitat preference for both spatial scales of analysis: they selected verges, vines and olives, within the study area, and used more verges within their home ranges, when compared to the other habitat types. The use of space by Microtus lusitanicus, in comparison with other microtines, suggests the occurrence of spatial associations between males and females in monogamous pairs. The importance of verges and linear habitats within an agricultural context is apparent, once they provide food and shelter from predators and human interventions.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Ludwig, D. R. "Reproduction and Population Dynamics of the Water Vole, Microtus richardsoni." Journal of Mammalogy 69, no. 3 (August 30, 1988): 532–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1381345.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Eccard, Jana A., and Hannu Ylönen. "Initiation of breeding after winter in bank voles: effects of food and population density." Canadian Journal of Zoology 79, no. 10 (October 1, 2001): 1743–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-133.

Full text

Abstract:

We studied factors causing variation in the initiation of reproduction after winter in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), an iteroparous seasonal breeder, by offering different winter food supplements and monitoring local density variation. We used either sunflower seeds or barley to supplement the diet of populations of bank voles in grassland enclosures. In a parallel experiment we used spruce seeds, a natural winter food, to supplement the diet of bank vole populations in unfenced spruce forest. Survival, maturation, and breeding were monitored by livetrapping. Population density decreased during winter in grassland enclosures and remained constant in the forest, with no difference between food treatments. Breeding was initiated earlier in the grassland enclosures than in the forest, probably because of the supplemental food supply in both seed treatments and social and environmental stability in enclosures. Within both experiments, we found no differences in timing of parturition between food treatments. Inter actions of food treatment with density of females influenced the time of initiation of breeding in both experiments. At low densities, breeding started up to 1 month earlier than the population average. At high densities, a proportion of females did not breed during spring. Massive food supplements advanced the initiation of breeding, but among animals with similar food supplies, local population density seemed to have stronger regulatory effects. Local density variations may therefore create asynchronous breeding patterns within populations under similar wintering conditions.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Heroldova, Marta, and Eva Janova. "Feeding strategy of two rodent species in a set-aside field and its influence on alimentary tract morphometry." Mammalia 83, no. 1 (December 19, 2018): 34–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2017-0106.

Full text

Abstract:

Abstract We examined the feeding strategy of two dominant rodents, the common vole (Microtus arvalis) and the pygmy field mouse (Apodemus uralensis), in set-aside fields over a period of 1 year. Diet analysis revealed dominance of green plant shoots in common vole’s diet and seeds in the diet of the pygmy field mouse. Food availability in the set-aside fields was strongly correlated with the diet of the herbivorous common vole, but not with that of the granivorous pygmy-field mouse. Both feeding strategies reflect specific morphological adaptations of the digestive tract of both species. A comparison of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT; length and mass without oesophagus; including contents) of the common vole and pygmy field mouse revealed a correlation between body size and length and the GIT weight in both species. The common vole had a proportionally heavier GIT with a larger of the common vole and pygmy field mouse relative proportion of caecum. The GIT length was proportionally greater in juvenile females, while the GIT weight was greater in adult females of both species. The GIT morphometry of both species varied with season and reproductive status, presumably as food consumed altered in line with vegetation phenology and the rodent’s energy requirements.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Getz, L. L., B. Mcguire, and C. S. Carter. "Social behavior, reproduction and demography of the prairie vole,Microtus ochrogaster." Ethology Ecology & Evolution 15, no. 2 (April 2003): 105–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2003.9522676.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Getz, Lowell L., Laura E. Simms, and Betty McGuire. "Nestling survival and population cycles in the prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster." Canadian Journal of Zoology 78, no. 10 (October 1, 2000): 1723–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z00-101.

Full text

Abstract:

We live-trapped a population of the prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, occupying an alfalfa habitat twice weekly for 63 months. The population underwent four high-amplitude cycles during this time. The most consistent factor associated with population increases was an increase in the number of young animals recruited into the population. Recruitment of young was more a function of survival of offspring during the nestling period than of the proportion of pregnant females in the population. Increased adult survival and reproduction in the population only partly explained the increase phase of the cycles. The decline phases resulted from a combination of decreased reproduction and increased adult mortality. Precipitous declines were associated with major mortality episodes, some less than a week in duration.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Jochym, M., and S. Halle. "Influence of predation risk on recruitment and litter intervals in common voles (Microtus arvalis)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 91, no. 5 (May 2013): 281–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2012-0249.

Full text

Abstract:

Research on mammals and birds has shown that predation may have indirect effects on prey reproduction. Some of the indirect effects may give prey an adaptive advantage. Females of several vole species respond to the presence of predators from the genus Mustela L., 1758 with suppressed breeding; this response increases females’ chances of survival. However, breeding suppression is observed only in a certain part of the female population; it is unclear whether predation risk affects the remaining females. We investigated this in a capture–mark–recapture experiment on reproductive effort of female common voles (Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778)) facing simulated presence of mustelid predators. We measured two parameters: the number of recruits per litter and the litter interval. Compared with control populations, the number of recruits per litter was not affected, but the litter interval was longer in females facing mustelid risk of predation. This indicates that predation risk affects females in a more complex way than originally proposed: it induces breeding suppression in some, but also influences litter frequency in others. Our result suggests that predatory stress deregulates the estrous cycle. Decreased frequency of litters can be a viable antipredatory adaptation in iteroparous organisms.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

TREBATICKÁ, Lenka, Tarmo KETOLA, Ines KLEMME, Jana A. ECCARD, and Hannu YLÖNEN. "Is reproduction really costly? Energy metabolism of bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) females through the reproductive cycle." Ecoscience 14, no. 3 (2007): 306. http://dx.doi.org/10.2980/1195-6860(2007)14[306:irrcem]2.0.co;2.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Yoccoz, Nigel G., Rolf A. Ims, and Harald Steen. "Growth and reproduction in island and mainland populations of the vole Microtus epiroticus." Canadian Journal of Zoology 71, no. 12 (December 1, 1993): 2518–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z93-345.

Full text

Abstract:

The vole Microtus epiroticus was accidentally introduced from Russia to the high arctic archipelago of Svalbard between 30 and 70 years ago. Data on growth patterns were collected in the laboratory for animals originating from the unique Svalbard population and from a population in Finland, close to northern Russia. Gestation period, birth mass, litter size, and age at first reproduction were similar in both populations. Longitudinal growth data were analyzed using polynomial growth curve models. Growth was bimodal, with an early peak at 8–10 days and a later peak at 15 days. The Finnish animals differed from the Svalbard animals by a higher growth rate at 12–15 days. In the field, adult body masses were much greater on Svalbard than in Finland. This difference might have been due to a phenotypic response to the cold arctic climate. We discuss the lack of clear predictions regarding microtine adaptation to the unpredictable arctic environment, and emphasize that in terms of high reproductive rates in mammals, M. epiroticus represents an extreme case.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Jonsson, Pernilla, Jep Agrell, Esa Koskela, and Tapio Mappes. "Effects of litter size on pup defence and weaning success of neighbouring bank vole females." Canadian Journal of Zoology 80, no. 1 (January 1, 2002): 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-199.

Full text

Abstract:

Reproductive success of territorial female mammals depends partly on their capability to defend their young from conspecific intruders. However, how this is related to the characteristics of females and their litter sizes is largely unknown. The defence activity of 25 female bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) in relation to the number of offspring was studied in a behavioural arena by manipulating litter sizes (2 pups or +2 pups). Infanticidal male bank voles were used as intruderspredators. Moreover, the weaning success (weaned at least one offspring or none) of 15 pairs of neighbouring females was investigated in a large indoor runway system. In each pair of females, the litter size of one female was reduced (2 pups) and the litter size of the other enlarged (+2 pups). Defence activity of females increased with the number of offspring and the mother's size. However, weaning success of neighbours was related only to their body mass, and litter-size manipulation did not affect weaning success. Present results indicate that, although bank vole females increase their defence intensity with an increase in the number of pups, the weaning success of neighbouring females may be primarily determined by their size and dominance rank.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Fernández-Salvador, Rosa, Rosa García-Perea, and Jacint Ventura. "Reproduction and postnatal growth of the Cabrera vole, Microtus cabrerae, in captivity." Canadian Journal of Zoology 79, no. 11 (November 1, 2001): 2080–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-175.

Full text

Abstract:

Three pairs of the endangered Cabrera vole, Microtus cabrerae, which is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, were captured in the wild and reared in captivity. They did not breed under standard laboratory conditions, and bred only under conditions similar to those found in wild colonies. Six litters were obtained and a total of 24 pups were monitored. Five external variables were measured and timing of 11 developmental events was recorded for each pup until it was 80 days old. Litter size was 4.0 ± 0.89 (mean ± SE; range = 35) pups per female, falling within the range reported for other Microtus species. Litter size of M. cabrerae was lower in the laboratory than in the field. Female body mass was correlated with litter mass at birth. Newborns were heavy (3.5 g, on average) compared with those of other Microtus species because of the relatively large size of adult M. cabrerae. Timing of the main developmental events followed a similar pattern to that observed for other species of the genus. Juvenile M. cabrerae grew fast in length during lactation, rapidly increasing their body mass during postweaning. Observations on parental behaviour in rearing pups support the previously published hypothesis that the species is monogamous. A global assessment of our results suggests that M. cabrerae should be included among the species that use the K strategy of reproduction.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Bazhan, N. M., E. N. Makarova, and T. V. Yakovleva. "Deprivation of Food during Pregnancy and Reproduction in the Water Vole (Arvicola terrestris)." Journal of Mammalogy 77, no. 4 (November 15, 1996): 1078–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1382788.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Meyer, Michael W., and Christopher Richardson. "The effects of chronic tannic acid intake on prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) reproduction." Journal of Chemical Ecology 19, no. 7 (July 1993): 1577–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00984898.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Winternitz, J. C., M. J. Yabsley, and S. M. Altizer. "Parasite infection and host dynamics in a naturally fluctuating rodent population." Canadian Journal of Zoology 90, no. 9 (September 2012): 1149–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z2012-083.

Full text

Abstract:

Parasites can both influence and be affected by host population dynamics, and a growing number of case studies support a role for parasites in causing or amplifying host population cycles. In this study, we examined individual and population predictors of gastrointestinal parasitism on wild cyclic montane voles ( Microtus montanus (Peale, 1848)) to determine if evidence was consistent with theory implicating parasites in population cycles. We sampled three sites in central Colorado for the duration of a multiannual cycle and recorded the prevalence and intensity of directly transmitted Eimeria Schneider, 1875 and indirectly transmitted cestodes from a total of 267 voles. We found significant associations between host infection status, individual traits (sex, age, and reproductive status) and population variables (site, trapping period, and population density), including a positive association between host density and cestode prevalence, and a negative association between host density and Eimeria prevalence. Both cestode and Eimeria intensity correlated positively with host age, reproductive status, and population density, but neither parasite was associated with poorer host condition. Our findings suggest that parasites are common in this natural host, but determining their potential to influence montane vole cycles requires future experimental studies and long-term monitoring to determine the fitness consequences of infection and the impact of parasite removal on host dynamics.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Dalton, Christine L. "Effects of female kin groups on reproduction and demography in the gray-tailed vole, Microtus canicaudus." Oikos 90, no. 1 (July 2000): 153–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.900115.x.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Rowlands, I. W. "The reproductive cycle of the Skomer vole (Clethrionomys glareolus skomerensis)." Journal of Zoology 158, no. 1 (August 20, 2009): 1–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb04963.x.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Pinter, Aelita J. "Multiannual fluctuations in precipitation and population dynamics of the montane vole, Microtus montanus." Canadian Journal of Zoology 66, no. 10 (October 1, 1988): 2128–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z88-316.

Full text

Abstract:

The montane vole, Microtus montanus, exhibits multiannual fluctuations in population density in northwestern Wyoming. Multiannual fluctuations in precipitation during May were also observed in the area. For data from the past 19 years, there is a significant negative correlation (r = −0.61, p < 0.01) between precipitation during May and vole population dynamics. Furthermore, there was a correlation between cycle phases of May precipitation and of population density. Peak precipitation in May (1970, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1984) was correlated in the same year with the decline phase in the population cycle. A trough in the May precipitation cycle (1969, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1985) was correlated in the same year with a population peak. It is hypothesized that spring precipitation may contribute to the population dynamics of Microtus montanus in north-western Wyoming by influencing the survival and reproductive success of these rodents at a critical time, the onset of the breeding season.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Nelson, Johan, Jep Agrell, Sam Erlinge, and Mikael Sandell. "Reproduction of Different Female Age Categories and Dynamics in a Non-Cyclic Field Vole, Microtus agrestis, Population." Oikos 61, no. 1 (May 1991): 73. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3545408.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Gundersen, Gry, Jon Aars, Harry P. Andreassen, and Rolf A. Ims. "Inbreeding in the field: an experiment on root vole populations." Canadian Journal of Zoology 79, no. 10 (October 1, 2001): 1901–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-152.

Full text

Abstract:

We used a field experiment with replicate populations of a particular geographic race of root voles (Microtus oeconomus) with different degrees of inbreeding to test whether inbreeding effects were expressed in demographic parameters. This geographic race had been shown to exhibit reduced reproductive rates in the laboratory resulting from inbreeding depression. There were no effects of inbreeding on population growth rate or any demographic parameter. Inbred animals grew less than outbred animals early in the summer, but this had no demographic consequences. Our study is one of the few to compare the performance of the same species in the laboratory and in the field with respect to the extent of inbreeding depression. More such comparisons will be needed to determine whether inbreeding is detrimental more often in the field than in the laboratory.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Nakata, Keisuke. "Regulation of reproduction rate in a cyclic population of the red-backed vole,Clethrionomys rufocanus bedfordiae." Researches on Population Ecology 31, no. 2 (December 1989): 185–209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02513201.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Johannesen, Edda, Harry P. Andreassen, and Rolf A. Ims. "The effect of patch isolation on reproductive synchrony in the root vole." Oikos 89, no. 1 (April 2000): 37–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.890104.x.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Yoshinaga, Y., T. Okayama, W. Ohno, and S. Shiraishi. "Growth, Development, and Reproductive Patterns in the Japanese Field Vole, Microtus montebelli." Journal of Mammalogy 78, no. 3 (August 22, 1997): 830–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1382941.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Gorman, Michael R., Michael H. Ferkin, Randy J. Nelson, and Irving Zucker. "Reproductive status influences odor preferences of the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus, in winter day lengths." Canadian Journal of Zoology 71, no. 9 (September 1, 1993): 1748–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z93-248.

Full text

Abstract:

Sporadic winter breeding is a common occurrence in populations of arvicoline rodents. To elaborate the olfactory basis of winter breeding, odor preferences of meadow voles that did or did not develop their reproductive systems in short day lengths were compared. Voles that did not respond to short days with reproductive inhibition were reproductively mature and are termed nonresponders, while voles that did respond to short days with reproductive inhibition were reproductively immature and are termed responders. Nonresponder females preferred odors of nonresponder males over those of nonresponder females and nonresponder female over responder female odors. Nonresponder males preferred nonresponder over responder female odors. The mutual attraction between male – female and female – female nonresponders may facilitate winter breeding and female – female dyad formation for communal rearing of young, respectively. Responder females preferred odors of female responders over those of male responders and responder over nonresponder male odors. Olfactory preferences of nonresponder short-day voles were not equivalent to those of reproductively competent long-day animals. Differences in odor communication between responder and nonresponder voles are attributable only in part to differences in gonadal hormone secretion.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Alibhai, S. K. "Effects of diet on reproductive performance of the Bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus)." Journal of Zoology 205, no. 3 (August 20, 2009): 445–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1985.tb05629.x.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Ims, Rolf Anker. "DETERMINANTS OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN GROWTH AND REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS IN THE ROOT VOLE." Ecology 78, no. 2 (March 1997): 461–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[0461:dogvig]2.0.co;2.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Voltura, Mary Beth. "Seasonal variation in body composition and gut capacity of the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)." Canadian Journal of Zoology 75, no. 10 (October 1, 1997): 1714–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z97-798.

Full text

Abstract:

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were trapped during different seasons in order to examine simultaneous variation in body composition and gut capacity. Voles in reproductive condition were trapped in May, August, and November but not in February. Body masses of adult voles were lowest during February 1994. Adult males showed no seasonal variation in absolute lipid mass but did exhibit variation in relative fat content (percent body fat), with the highest values found in February 1994. Both absolute lipid mass and relative fat content of adult females varied with month of capture and were higher in February of both 1994 and 1995. Juvenile voles showed no variation in body composition between seasons and had fat levels similar to those of adult voles in the breeding months. Wet mass of the gastrointestinal tract varied with season of capture for both adult males and females, but no distinct pattern was evident. Mass of gut contents varied between trapping periods for adult males, but there were no seasonal differences in the gut contents of adult females or juveniles. The average mass of gut contents was higher than previously reported for field-caught prairie voles; this difference is likely due to the use of snap traps versus live traps.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Ivanter, E. V. "The Reproductive Ecology of the Bank Vole Myodes (Clethrionomys) glareolus Schreb. in North Periphery of Its Areal: I. Sex Cycles, Course, Dates, and Intensive Reproduction." Biology Bulletin 47, no. 5 (September 2020): 535–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/s1062359020050040.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Ims, Rolf Anker. "Differential Reproductive Success in a Peak Population of the Grey-Sided Vole Clethrionomys rufocanus." Oikos 50, no. 1 (September 1987): 103. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3565406.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Zadubrovskaya, I. V., P. A. Zadubrovskii, and E. A. Novikov. "Reproductive Characteristics of the Northern Mole Vole at the Northeastern Periphery of Species Range." Russian Journal of Ecology 51, no. 2 (March 2020): 151–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/s1067413620010142.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Luque-Larena, Juan José, Pilar López, and Joaquim Gosálbez. "Microhabitat use by the snow vole Chionomys nivalis in alpine environments reflects rock-dwelling preferences." Canadian Journal of Zoology 80, no. 1 (January 1, 2002): 36–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-197.

Full text

Abstract:

Environmental conditions in mountainous regions have influenced the nature of some adaptations among small mammals and this may apply to strategies of habitat use in alpine biotopes. In the present paper, microhabitat use in relation to microhabitat availability of a population of snow voles Chionomys nivalis Martins, 1842, a nonhibernating microtine rodent that inhabits high-mountain environments exclusively, was studied. The results show that C. nivalis did not use microhabitats in proportion to availability, suggesting a preference for certain habitat characteristics. Chionomys nivalis strongly used scree areas at all times, whereas the use of available areas of mixed shrubs (Juniperus communis and Cytisus oromediterraneus) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was lower than expected. Factors other than food, such as favourable microclimate or refuge from predators, might determine regular use of rocky microhabitats. The results also revealed differences in the use of rocky structures related to sex and reproductive condition, suggesting different strategies of spatial use related to reproductive tasks. Juveniles and reproductive females used central zones of the scree and areas with scree junipers (J. communis) significantly more than expected, whereas reproductive males and nonreproductive adults used scree areas in proportion to availability. Based on its unique morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics, C. nivalis can be considered a rock-dwelling specialist of alpine environments.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Koskela, Esa. "Offspring growth, survival and reproductive success in the bank vole: a litter size manipulation experiment." Oecologia 115, no. 3 (July 3, 1998): 379–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004420050531.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Journal articles on the topic 'Ecology of the vole][Vole reproduction'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles