Movements of Feral House Mice in Agricultural Landscapes

1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
CJ Krebs ◽  
AJ Kenney ◽  
GR Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Social Organisation ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Agricultural Fields ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Home Ranges

From September 1992 to May 1993 we radio-collared 155 house mice (Mus domesticus) on agricultural fields in southern Queensland to measure movements and to determine social organisation. During the breeding season most individuals were site-attached and home ranges of both sexes overlapped extensively. There was no sign of exclusive space use for breeding individuals. Breeding males had home ranges that were larger than those of breeding females (0.035 ha v. 0.015 ha), and moved about more. After breeding ended, home ranges increased over tenfold in area, and most mice became nomadic and not site-attached.

Movements and refugia of Lakeland Downs short-tailed mice, Leggadina lakedownensis, and house mice, Mus domesticus, on Thevenard Island, Western Australia

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorian Moro ◽  
Keith Morris
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Water Metabolism ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Burrow Morphology

Radio-telemetry was used to identify the home range and refuge sites of two species of mouse inhabiting a semi-arid island off the Western Australian coast, in an effort to understand differences in their water metabolism. The native short-tailed mouse, Leggadina lakedownensis, had a median home range of 4.8 ha. This area increased during the non-breeding season (5.3 ha) compared with the breeding season (3.0 ha), but this difference was not significant. In contrast, the median home range for the house mouse, Mus domesticus, was smaller (2.8 ha), although this was variable. Core areas were best represented by the 75% and 60% isopleths for M. domesticus and L. lakedownensis, respectively. Core areas were greater in L. lakedownensis (1.0 ha) than in M. domesticus (0.8 ha). Furthermore, the degree of overlap in core areas was low for L. lakedownensis, but absent for M. domesticus. There was no evidence that M. domesticus used burrows as refuges. Instead, they sheltered in dense bushes above ground during the day where air temperatures were ameliorated by the cover. L. lakedownensis rested in burrows during the day where high air temperatures were mainatined at a constant 28°C, and a relative humidity of between 72–97%. Burrow morphology was simple and comprised two types: burrows with a single chamber, and those without a chamber, indicative of a solitary habit. These results suggest that a fossorial behaviour in L. lakedownensis may lower its water economy compared with M. domesticus, which shelters above ground.

Six reasons why feral house mouse populations might have low recapture rates.

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
CJ Krebs ◽  
GR Singleton ◽  
AJ Kenney
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
House Mouse ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Agricultural Fields ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Live Trapping ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Population Indices

Many feral house mouse populations have low recapture rates (0-20%) in live-trapping studies carried out at 2-4-week intervals. We consider six hypotheses to explain low recapture rates. We radio-collared 155 house mice between September 1992 and May 1993 in agricultural fields on the Darling Downs of south-eastern Queensland during a phase of population increase. Low recapture rates during the breeding season were due to low trappability and during the non-breeding period to nomadic movements. During the breeding season radio-collared mice of both sexes survived well and moved mostly small distances (<ll m). Low trappability has consequences for the precision of population indices that rely on catch per unit effort. Capture-recapture models robust to heterogeneity of trap responses should be used to census feral Mus populations.

The spatial dynamics of White-browed Babbler groups in a fragmented agricultural landscape

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter G. Cale
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Group Movements

White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus superciliosus groups occupying linear strips of vegetation had breeding territories that were smaller in area and had longer linear dimensions than those occupying patches. A group's non-breeding home range was larger than its breeding territory. Groups occupying linear/patch home ranges expanded the linear extent and area of their home ranges more than those within other home range configurations. Some groups moved during the non-breeding season and this was more likely to occur if the group occupied a remnant with a low abundance of invertebrates during summer. Some groups that moved returned prior to the next breeding season, but the majority were never seen again. New groups moved into the study sites and established in vacant home ranges. This suggests that those groups that left the study sites may have established new home ranges elsewhere. Breeding site fidelity was lower in groups that had failed in previous breeding attempts. Therefore, group movements were influenced by the feeding and breeding quality of the habitat. However, the configuration of the local population also influenced group movements with those groups on the edge of a local population being more likely to move than those in the interior. New groups were formed by two processes; group dispersal, where groups generally filled a vacant home range, and group budding, which involved the splitting of a large group. Group dispersal maintained group densities while group budding increased the density of groups in a local population. These two processes were common, producing localized fluctuations in the density of groups. Since babbler groups contain only one breeding pair, changes in group density represent changes in effective population size. Therefore, group dynamics may be important to the persistence of local populations of White-browed Babblers, especially in landscapes that have suffered from habitat loss and fragmentation.

Potential impacts of poison baiting for introduced house mice on native animals on islands in Jurien Bay, Western Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford Bennison ◽  
J. Anthony Friend ◽  
Timothy Button ◽  
Harriet Mills ◽  
Cathy Lambert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Native Species ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Delivery Technique ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Competition For Resources

Context House mice (Mus domesticus) are present on Boullanger and Whitlock islands, Western Australia, and could potentially threaten populations of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) and grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer) through competition for resources. A workshop in 2007 recommended a study to assess the feasibility of eradicating house mice from the islands by using poison baits and of the risk posed to non-target native species. Aim We aimed to assess the risk to non-target native species if poison baiting was used to eradicate house mice on Boullanger and Whitlock islands. Methods Non-toxic baits containing the bait marker rhodamine B were distributed on Boullanger Island and on the mouse free Escape Island to determine the potential for primary poisoning. Acceptance of baits by mammals was measured through sampling and analysis of whiskers, and by reptiles through observations of dye in faeces. To determine the potential for secondary exposure to poison, the response of dibblers to mouse carcasses was observed using motion-activated cameras. Bait acceptance was compared using two methods of delivery, namely, scattering in the open and delivery in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes. A cafeteria experiment of bait consumption by dibblers was also undertaken using captive animals held at the Perth Zoo. Ten dibblers were offered non-toxic baits containing rhodamine B in addition to their normal meals; consumption of bait and the presence of dye in whiskers were measured. Key results Bait acceptance on the islands was high for house mice (92% of individuals) and dibblers (48%) and it was independent of bait-delivery technique. There was no evidence of bait acceptance by grey-bellied dunnarts. Dibblers may consume mice carcasses if available; however, no direct consumption of mice carcasses was observed with movement sensor cameras but one dibbler was observed removing a mouse carcass and taking it away. During the cafeteria experiment, 9 of 10 captive dibblers consumed baits. Conclusions This investigation demonstrated that dibblers consume baits readily and island populations would experience high mortality if exposed to poison baits. Poison baiting could effectively eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands but not without mortality for dibblers. Implications Toxic baits could be used to eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands, provided that non-target species such as dibblers were temporarily removed from the islands before the application of baits.

scholarly journals The home-range concept: are traditional estimators still relevant with modern telemetry technology?

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1550) ◽  
pp. 2221-2231 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Kie ◽  
Jason Matthiopoulos ◽  
John Fieberg ◽  
Roger A. Powell ◽  
Francesca Cagnacci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Utilization Distributions

Recent advances in animal tracking and telemetry technology have allowed the collection of location data at an ever-increasing rate and accuracy, and these advances have been accompanied by the development of new methods of data analysis for portraying space use, home ranges and utilization distributions. New statistical approaches include data-intensive techniques such as kriging and nonlinear generalized regression models for habitat use. In addition, mechanistic home-range models, derived from models of animal movement behaviour, promise to offer new insights into how home ranges emerge as the result of specific patterns of movements by individuals in response to their environment. Traditional methods such as kernel density estimators are likely to remain popular because of their ease of use. Large datasets make it possible to apply these methods over relatively short periods of time such as weeks or months, and these estimates may be analysed using mixed effects models, offering another approach to studying temporal variation in space-use patterns. Although new technologies open new avenues in ecological research, our knowledge of why animals use space in the ways we observe will only advance by researchers using these new technologies and asking new and innovative questions about the empirical patterns they observe.

Urine marking in populations of wild house mice Mus domesticus rutty. I. Communication between males

1990 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane L. Hurst
Keyword(s):  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Urine Marking ◽  
Wild House Mice

Modification of Exploratory Behavior by House Mice (Mus Domesticus) in Response to Fox Fecal Odor

1999 ◽  
pp. 633-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Gurney ◽  
R. W. Watkins ◽  
G. E. Dunsford ◽  
D. P. Cowan
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Behavior ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus

Effect of flooding on field populations of house mice (Mus domesticus)

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
LE Twigg ◽  
BJ Kay
Keyword(s):  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus

Effects of voluntary activity and genetic selection on aerobic capacity in house mice (Mus domesticus)

1998 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Swallow ◽  
Theodore Garland ◽  
Patrick A. Carter ◽  
Wen-Zhi Zhan ◽  
Gary C. Sieck
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Aerobic Capacity ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Voluntary Activity ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Running Wheels

Swallow, John G., Theodore Garland, Jr., Patrick A. Carter, Wen-Zhi Zhan, and Gary C. Sieck. Effects of voluntary activity and genetic selection on aerobic capacity in house mice ( Mus domesticus). J. Appl. Physiol. 84(1): 69–76, 1998.—An animal model was developed to study effects on components of exercise physiology of both “nature” (10 generations of genetic selection for high voluntary activity on running wheels) and “nurture” (7–8 wk of access or no access to running wheels, beginning at weaning). At the end of the experiment, mice from both wheel-access groups were significantly lighter in body mass than mice from sedentary groups. Within the wheel-access group, a statistically significant, negative relationship existed between activity and final body mass. In measurements of maximum oxygen consumption during forced treadmill exercise (V˙o 2 max), mice with wheel access were significantly more cooperative than sedentary mice; however, trial quality was not a significant predictor of individual variation in V˙o 2 max. Nested two-way analysis of covariance demonstrated that both genetic selection history and access to wheels had significant positive effects on V˙o 2 max. A 12% difference inV˙o 2 max existed between wheel-access selected mice, which had the highest mass-correctedV˙o 2 max, and sedentary control mice, which had the lowest. The respiratory exchange ratio at V˙o 2 max was also significantly lower in the wheel-access group. Our results suggest the existence of a possible genetic correlation between voluntary activity levels (behavior) and aerobic capacity (physiology).

scholarly journals Effects of Oral Uptake of the Chemosterilant 4-Vinylcyclohexene Diepoxide in Wild House Mice, Mus domesticus

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn , A. Hinds ◽  
Stephen Henry ◽  
Sameer Sharma ◽  
Luke Leung ◽  
Cheryl Dyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Oral Uptake ◽  
Vinylcyclohexene Diepoxide ◽  
Wild House Mice
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document