Importance of winter rape for small rodents

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.

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

Avian Biology Research ◽

10.3184/175815617x15103217178364 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

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.

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Variation in the diet and breeding biology of the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) in a demographic cycle of Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) between two outbreaks

Ornis Hungarica ◽

10.2478/orhu-2020-0016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 37-65

Author(s):

Adrienn Horváth ◽

László Bank ◽

Győző F. Horváth

Keyword(s):

Clutch Size ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Common Vole ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Early Spring ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Microtus Arvalis ◽

Breeding Parameters ◽

The Common

AbstractIn the present study, we analysed the variation of breeding parameters and the diet composition of the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) in three different demographic phases of the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) in a complete population cycle between two outbreaks. The study was conducted in the south-eastern part of the Transdanubian region in South Hungary. For the analysis, we used data of 81 randomly selected first clutches from 2015 to 2019, a time period which represented a full demographic cycle of the Common Vole after the 2014 outbreak with an exceptionally high peak. We tested the impact of prey abundance and diversity of diet composition as continuous predictors as well as the demographic phase of Common Vole and the mesoregion as categorical explanatory variables on the measured reproductive outputs as response variables using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). Considering the breeding parameters, the number of fledglings, and fledging and reproductive success were significantly higher in the increase phase than during the vole crash phase. Based on GLM models, our results demonstrated that the clutch size of the Common Barn-owl is determined ultimately by the availability and consumption rate of the Common Vole as main prey, while other small mammal prey categories did not affect the clutch size. These results support the finding that the clutch size of vole-eating raptors and owls, which begin breeding periods in early spring predicts the vole abundance in this early spring period. Considering the other investigated small mammal prey groups, the alternative prey role was confirmed only in case of the Murid rodent prey categories (Apodemus spp., Muridae).

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Mow the Grass at the Mouse’s Peril: Diversity of Small Mammals in Commercial Fruit Farms

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9060334 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 334 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Linas Balčiauskas ◽

Laima Balčiauskienė ◽

Vitalijus Stirkė

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Common Vole ◽

The European Union ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Small Mammal Communities ◽

The Common ◽

Mammal Communities ◽

Mammal Diversity

Small mammals are not only pests but also an important part of agricultural ecosystems. The common vole is a reference species for risk assessment of plant protection products in the European Union, but no data about the suitability of the species in the Baltic countries are present so far. Using the snap-trap line method, we evaluated species composition, abundance, and diversity of small mammal communities in commercial orchards and berry plantations in Lithuania, testing the predictions that (i) compared with other habitats, small mammal diversity in fruit farms is low, and (ii) the common vole is the dominant species. The diversity of small mammals was compared with control habitats and the results of investigations in other habitats. Out of ten small mammal species registered, the most dominant were common vole and striped field mouse. Small mammal diversity and abundance increased in autumn and decreased in line with the intensity of agricultural practices but were not dependent on crop type. In the most intensively cultivated fruit farms, small mammals were not found. The diversity of small mammal communities in fruit farms was significantly higher than in crop fields and exceeded the diversities found in most types of forests except those in rapid succession.

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Low-intensity monitoring of small-mammal habitat associations and species interactions in an urban forest-preserve network

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr18082 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 114 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kevin W. Cassel ◽

Dana J. Morin ◽

Clayton K. Nielsen ◽

Timothy S. Preuss ◽

Gary A. Glowacki

Keyword(s):

Small Mammal ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Interspecific Interactions ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Meadow Voles ◽

Low Intensity ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Small Mammal Species ◽

Reserve Networks

Abstract ContextAnthropogenic landscape modification and fragmentation result in loss of species and can alter ecosystem function. Assessment of the ecological value of urban reserve networks requires baseline and continued monitoring. However, depending on the desired indicators and parameters, effective monitoring can involve extensive sampling that is often financially or logistically infeasible. AimsWe employed a low-intensity, mixed-detector survey design to monitor the small-mammal community across a network of 53 fragmented forest preserves (225 sites) in a highly urbanised landscape in the Chicago metropolitan area from August to October, 2009–2012. MethodsWe used a sequential process to fit single-season occupancy and pairwise co-occurrence models for six common small mammal species to evaluate habitat associations and interspecific interactions. Key resultsShrew species and meadow voles occurred more often in open canopy-associated habitats, whereas occupancy was greater for eastern chipmunks, grey squirrels and white-footed mice in closed-canopy habitats. Habitat associations were complicated by negative pairwise interactions, resulting in reduced occurrence of meadow voles when predatory short-tailed shrews were present and lower occupancy rates of white-footed mouse when chipmunk competitors where present. White-footed mice co-occurred with short-tailed shrews, but detection of white-footed mice was lower when either eastern chipmunks or short-tailed shrews were present, suggesting that densities of these species could be inversely related. ConclusionsWe found evidence for both habitat segregation and interspecific interactions among small mammal species, by using low-intensity sampling across the reserve network. Thus, our sampling and analysis approach allowed for adequate assessment of the habitat associations and species interactions within a small-mammal community. ImplicationsOur findings demonstrated the utility of this monitoring strategy and community as bioindicators for urban-reserve networks. The approach described holds promise for efficient monitoring of reserve networks in fragmented landscapes, critical as human population densities and urbanisation increase, and we discuss how adaptive sampling methods could be incorporated to further benefit conservation efforts.

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Effects of landscape type and extensive management on use of motorway roadsides by small mammals

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z98-203 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

pp. 108-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Francis D Meunier ◽

Johanna Corbin ◽

Christophe Verheyden ◽

Pierre Jouventin

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Common Vole ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Individual Species ◽

Landscape Matrix ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Landscape Type ◽

Population Peak ◽

Relative Abundances

We compared the relative abundances of small mammals along extensively managed motorway roadsides (with a narrow mown strip adjacent to the roadway) in three distinct landscapes (garrigue, pine plantation, and intensive farmland), to evaluate the relative effects of management and landscape traversed on roadside small-mammal populations. In each landscape, the landscape matrix (adjacent habitats), the mown strip, and the intervening unmown strip of roadside were sampled using snap traps. The roadside communities differed from those of landscape matrices, both in the relative abundances of individual species and in the proportion of each species captured. Species richness was greater on roadsides than in cropland and pine plantations, but there was no difference in the garrigue landscape. However, this greater richness was due to species that were rarely caught. The three dominant species (93.7% of captures), greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), and common vole (Microtus arvalis), were generally more abundant on roadsides than in the landscape matrices, especially in the unmown strip in the case of the first two species. Voles showed seasonal variation, being more abundant in mown strips at the population peak. The ecotone attributes of extensively managed motorway roadsides seem to be favourable to most small-mammal species, regardless of the landscape matrix.

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

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2017-0106 ◽

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.

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Effects of land use, habitat characteristics, and small mammal community composition on Leptospira prevalence in northeast Madagascar

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1371/journal.pntd.0008946 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. e0008946

Author(s):

James P. Herrera ◽

Natalie R. Wickenkamp ◽

Magali Turpin ◽

Fiona Baudino ◽

Pablo Tortosa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Introduced Species ◽

Community Composition ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Native Species ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Mammal Community

Human activities can increase or decrease risks of acquiring a zoonotic disease, notably by affecting the composition and abundance of hosts. This study investigated the links between land use and infectious disease risk in northeast Madagascar, where human subsistence activities and population growth are encroaching on native habitats and the associated biota. We collected new data on pathogenic Leptospira, which are bacteria maintained in small mammal reservoirs. Transmission can occur through close contact, but most frequently through indirect contact with water contaminated by the urine of infected hosts. The probability of infection and prevalence was compared across a gradient of natural moist evergreen forest, nearby forest fragments, flooded rice and other types of agricultural fields, and in homes in a rural village. Using these data, we tested specific hypotheses for how land use alters ecological communities and influences disease transmission. The relative abundance and proportion of exotic species was highest in the anthropogenic habitats, while the relative abundance of native species was highest in the forested habitats. Prevalence of Leptospira was significantly higher in introduced compared to endemic species. Lastly, the probability of infection with Leptospira was highest in introduced small mammal species, and lower in forest fragments compared to other habitat types. Our results highlight how human land use affects the small mammal community composition and in turn disease dynamics. Introduced species likely transmit Leptospira to native species where they co-occur, and may displace the Leptospira species naturally occurring in Madagascar. The frequent spatial overlap of people and introduced species likely also has consequences for public health.

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Responses of the long-eared owl Asio otus diet and the numbers of wintering individuals to changing abundance of the common vole Microtus arvalis

Biologia ◽

10.1515/biolog-2015-0074 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 70 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Filip Tulis ◽

Michal Baláž ◽

Ján Obuch ◽

Karol Šotnár

Keyword(s):

Common Vole ◽

Bird Species ◽

Population Fluctuations ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Winter Diet ◽

Opportunistic Predator ◽

The Common ◽

Agricultural Areas ◽

Food Niche ◽

Specific Diet

AbstractOpportunistic predator like the long-eared owl is able to respond to population fluctuations of its main prey. The composition of the winter diet of this owl species was investigated during the period of 13 winters (1992-2000, 2006-2011) in agricultural areas in Slovakia. In total, we found 23 mammal species and 33 bird species (H′ = 0.82) in pellets. The frequency of the dominant prey species, the common vole, varied from 57.7% to 92.4%. Our data show that the abundance of the common vole: (i) had biggest impact on the food niche breadth of the long-eared owl; (ii) when in decline, it was significantly compensated by the increase in the amount of 15 other accessory species (subject to the specific diet offered during the study winters); (iii) was positively correlated with the number of owls in the winter-roost, which varied during the 13 studied winters.

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Habitat associations of small mammals in farmed landscapes: implications for agri-environmental schemes

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/157075607781753092 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 301-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Salvador Peris ◽

Carlos Rodríguez

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Common Vole ◽

Wood Mouse ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Mus Spretus ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Eastern Area ◽

Small Mammal Species

AbstractThe small mammal community in 21 localities of north-western Spain was evaluated in the light of land use composition. The two geomorphologic categories characterising the study area, the main use of the land (arable/pastoral) and main crop types of each sampling locality were used as potential predictors of the relative abundance of five common small mammal species. The Common vole, Microtus arvalis showed a weak relationship with land uses, probably due to the recent colonisation process this species experienced in the study area. The relative abundance of the Algerian mouse, Mus spretus and the Lusitanian pine vole, Microtus lusitanicus was best explained by models built at the broadest regional scale, the former being more abundant in the eastern area, the latter in the western area. The Greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula showed a positive relationship with grassland coverage, whilst the Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus benefited from increasing proportions of fallow lands within the landscape. These two species are then expected to respond positively to those agri-environmental schemes including the increase of fallows and grassy vegetation within the arable landscape (EU recommendations). However, further efforts are needed to predict, at least qualitatively, the response of other small mammal species to the changing farmed landscape. This is especially true for two endemic species occurring at this area: the Cabrera vole, Microtus cabrerae and the Lusitanian pine vole, and for which this kind of information is almost absent.

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Invasive shrubs modify rodent activity timing, revealing a consistent behavioral rule governing diel activity

Behavioral Ecology ◽

10.1093/beheco/arz050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 1069-1075 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter W Guiden ◽

John L Orrock

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plants ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Native Species ◽

Ground Level ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Diel Activity ◽

Ecological Interactions ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Invasive Shrub ◽

Animal Activity

Abstract Animals adjust the timing of their activity to maximize benefits, such as access to resources, and minimize costs, such as exposure to predators. Despite many examples of invasive plants changing animal behavior, the potential for invasive plants to alter the timing of animal activity remains unexplored. In eastern North America, invasive shrubs might have particularly strong effects on animal activity timing during spring and fall, when many invasive shrubs retain their leaves long after native species’ leaves senesce. We experimentally removed an invasive shrub (buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica) and monitored the activity timing of a ubiquitous small-mammal species (white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus) in spring, summer, and fall. We captured nearly 3 times as many P. leucopus in plots invaded by R. cathartica compared with plots with R. cathartica removed, and P. leucopus were captured 2 h earlier in invaded plots. Regardless of invasion treatment, P. leucopus appear to follow a common rule to set activity timing: P. leucopus were only active below a threshold of ground-level moonlight illuminance (0.038 lux). Diel and monthly lunar cycles play an important role in regulating small-mammal activity, but our data suggest that decreased light penetration dampens the influence of moonlight illuminance in habitats invaded by R. cathartica, allowing P. leucopus to remain active throughout the night. By changing the temporal niche of ubiquitous native animals, invasive shrubs may have unappreciated effects on many ecological interactions, including processes that alter community diversity and affect human health.

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