Feeding strategy of two rodent species in a set-aside field and its influence on alimentary tract morphometry

Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-40
Author(s):  
Marta Heroldova ◽  
Eva Janova
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Common Vole ◽  
Green Plant ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Field Mouse ◽  
Morphological Adaptations ◽  
The Common

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.

Weather-Dependent Variation in the Winter Diet of Urban Roosting Long-Eared Owls Asio Otus in Pécs (Hungary)

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dávid Szép ◽  
Renáta Bocz ◽  
Jenő J. Purger
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Common Vole ◽  
Wood Mouse ◽  
Field Mouse ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Striped Field Mouse ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Dormouse ◽  
Grassland Habitats

Long-eared Owls (Asio otus) usually winter in groups in settlements, hunt at night and rest in evergreen trees during the day. From prey remnants regurgitated as pellets, one can detect species present in their hunting areas and changes in their abundance. Our aim was to reveal how the ratio of small mammal species in Long-eared Owl prey changes during the winter, since weather can influence hunting success and the availability of prey. There were 40–60 Long-eared Owls wintering in the city of Pécs. From November 2014 to mid-March 2015 we collected 6,328 pellets from which 9,087 prey remains were identified. 97.5% of prey consisted of small mammals belonging to 21 species. The diversity of small mammals in the pellets collected in November was significantly lower in comparison with other months. With the increase of precipitation, the relative abundance of the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) and Common Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) decreased, while that of the Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius) and Wood Mouse (A. sylvaticus) increased. In the periods when the area was covered by snow, the ratio of the Common Vole as prey continually decreased, probably because it stayed under the snow. Since the availability of the Common Vole declined, the proportions of the Striped Field Mouse and Lesser White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) as alternative prey grew significantly. In low temperature periods, Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) and birds are more often preyed upon. Despite the hunting area being predominantly urban, species preferring open grassland habitats were significantly more common. As winter progressed, the role of forest-dwelling species in the diet continuously increased.

Change of Feeding Strategy Prior to Migration: A Comparative Diet Analysis in the Lesser Kestrel (Falco Naumanni)

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasios Bounas ◽  
Konstantinos Sotiropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Diet Composition ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Diet Breadth ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Falco Naumanni ◽  
Period Data ◽  
Lesser Kestrel

Assessing the variation in diet composition of a species, over different years and between periods, offers insights to comprehend its ecological niche as well as to define different feeding strategies. We studied the diet of the Lesser Kestrel ( Falco naumanni) by analysing 1040 regurgitated pellets collected in the city of Ioannina (northwestern Greece). We compared diet composition between the breeding period (data from years 2010–2015) and the pre-migration period (data from 2013–2015) at the study site. A total of 8920 prey items were identified and classified into 13 different prey families. The Lesser Kestrel shows a consistent pattern of diet composition throughout years, displaying significant differences between breeding and pre-migration periods. The diet is rather diverse during the breeding season (Levins' diet breadth, B = 4.12) and is composed mainly of Orthoptera and Coleoptera, while during pre-migration, the species shows a more narrow diet breadth ( B = 1.98) and feeds more often and on larger amounts of Orthoptera. These results indicate a specialised feeding strategy during pre-migration. In addition, the examination of the Orthoptera consumption during this period indicates a peak in the abundance of grasshoppers (Acrididae) in the second half of August. We suggest that at this time birds exploit high elevation open grasslands around the roosting site where grasshopper abundance is high. Thus, such areas are of high conservation importance as Lesser Kestrels depend on this localised abundance of Orthoptera in order to fuel up before their trans-Saharan migration.

scholarly journals Importance of winter rape for small rodents

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 175-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Heroldová ◽  
J. Zejda ◽  
M. Zapletal ◽  
D. Obdržálková ◽  
E. Jánová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Common Vole ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Field Mouse ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Winter Rape ◽  
Dominant Component ◽  
Small Mammal Community ◽  
The Common

Winter rape stands are important habitat for the common vole (Microtus arvalis) and the pygmy field mouse (Apodemus microps). In autumn, the common vole is dominant in this habitat (D = 75%) and reproduces in it (17% of population). This species also dominates the small mammal community of winter rape in early spring (D = 87%), and its reproduction begins in this habitat early; under suitable meteorological conditions 44% of the population of common vole reproduce in March. Analyses of the spring and autumn diet of M. arvalis in winter rape have shown that green leaves of this species form the dominant component of its diet. During the period when the rape crop is ripening, the population abundance of the common vole decreases as green food at ground level decreases. The pygmy field mouse (A. microps) has a contrasting response to winter rape, and it is almost absent from the rape crop from autumn to late spring. However, when winter rapeseeds begun to ripen, the pygmy field mouse concentration in this habitat is in large numbers (dominance D = 76%) and rapeseeds dominate its diet (v% = 72). After the harvest of winter rape, when shed seeds begin to grow, both small mammal species live for some weeks on rape plots.

The 'common vole' in Svalbard identified as Microtus epiroticus by chromosome analysis

1990 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARL FREDGA ◽  
MAARIT JAAROLA ◽  
ROLF ANKER IMS ◽  
HARALD STEEN ◽  
NIGEL G. YOCCOZ
Keyword(s):  
Common Vole ◽  
Chromosome Analysis ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Helminth fauna of Microtus cf. arvalis (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in Russia and adjacent countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
NADEZHDA Yu. KIRILLOVA ◽  
Alexander Kirillov ◽  
ALEXANDER B. RUCHIN ◽  
MAXIM V. TRUKHACHEV
Keyword(s):  
Common Vole ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Final Host ◽  
Helminth Fauna ◽  
Helminth Species ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Voles ◽  
Paratenic Hosts ◽  
Parasitic Worms

Abstract. Kirillova NYu, Kirillov AA, Ruchin AB, Trukhachev MV. 2020. Helminth fauna of Microtus cf. arvalis (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in Russia and adjacent countries. Biodiversitas 21: 1961-1979. The helminth fauna of voles of the Microtus cf. arvalis group is reviewed focusing on the Russian fauna and that of adjacent territories. In total, 61 helminth species have been recorded in these rodents: Trematoda-14, Cestoda-21, Nematoda-25, Acanthocephala-1. The diversity of the helminth community of the common vole is due to the wide species range and abundance of this rodent. M. arvalis is the final host for most of the parasites recorded from this host species. Only 10 cestodes and trematodes species use common voles as intermediate and paratenic hosts. The core of this voles’ helminth fauna is formed by common species that parasitize many different rodent species. The helminth fauna of the common vole has been most intensively studied in Russia, where 45 species of parasitic worms have been recorded in rodents. The similarity of the helminth fauna of the common vole from different study regions is determined by both the geographical proximity of the research areas and the broad distribution of most of the M. cf. arvalis helminth species.

scholarly journals Different alternative diets within two subgroups in a winter roost of long-eared owls

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-144
Author(s):  
Filip Tulis ◽  
Tomáš Veselovský ◽  
Simon Birrer
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Common Vole ◽  
Wood Mouse ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
The Common

Abstract In winter 2013/2014 a roost of long-eared owls in Bojnice Spa (central Slovakia) was formed by two subgroups situated 12 meters apart from each other. The diets of both subgroups and the direction of the owls’ departure from the roost were studied at monthly intervals. Owls of the Pinus-subgroup left the roost in a significantly different direction compared with the owls in the Picea-subgroup. The common vole was the most hunted prey in both subgroups. However, comparing the alternative prey of the two subgroups, the wood mouse and other mammals were found significantly more often in pellets of the Picea-sub-group, whereas birds were more frequent in pellets of the Pinus-subgroup. Our results suggest that the different prey hunted by the two subgroups may be a consequence of diverging hunting areas with different availability of alternative prey species.

scholarly journals Efficacy of different formulations of Bromodiolone-based rodenticides against rodent pests in alfalfa

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-282
Author(s):  
Goran Jokic ◽  
Marina Vuksa ◽  
Ibrahim Elezovic ◽  
Bojan Stojnic ◽  
Suzana Djedovic
Keyword(s):  
Common Vole ◽  
Field Mouse ◽  
Microtus Arvalis ◽  
Small Rodents ◽  
Striped Field Mouse ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Plot Area ◽  
Main Plot ◽  
Mixed Populations ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

In order to compare the efficacy of different formulations of Bromodiolone-based rodenticides against mixed populations of common vole (Microtus arvalis Pall) and striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) in alfalfa, the testing was conducted using the standard EPPO method at the locations of Belegis and Putinci, in summer of 2010. The experimental design consisted of a completely randomized block with four replicates and with the main plot area of 400 m2. The abundance and distribution of small rodents populations at the experimental plots were determined on the basis of appearance and spatial distribution of active holes. The efficacy of different rodenticide formulations was evaluated according to the number of active holes 7, 14, and 28 days after treatment (DAT), using the Henderson- Tilton?s formula. The testing was done with the commercially available rodenticide formulations: (grain-based baits), RB (ready-to-use baits - pouches) and PT (pellets), containing 0.005% of active ingredient Bromodiolone. The monofactoral analysing of variance did not result in any statistically significant difference in efficacy of rodenticide formulations 7 DAT at the Belegis locality and 7 and 14 DAT at the Putinci locality. But, the statistically significant difference in efficacy of rodenticide formulations was observed at Belegis locality on the 14th day of the experiment. Also, at the end of experiment, the efficacy of rodenticide formulations significantly varied at both locations. Nominally, the lowest efficacy of 72.5% was exhibited by formulation, while the average efficacy of RB and PT formulations against mixed populations of common vole and striped field mouse in alfalfa was 88.3% and 77.7%, respectively. It is concluded that the use of RB formulation of Bromodiolone-based rodenticides can improve the control of rodent pests in alfalfa.

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