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Population Ecology of Feral House Mice: Interference by Microtus
Author(s) -
Delong Karl T.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1932988
Subject(s) - microtus , burrow , house mice , ecology , biology , population , house mouse , vole , population ecology , zoology , demography , sociology
House mouse populations were studied from October 1963 until May 1964 in the presence and absence of meadow mice by experimentally manipulating two field grids. Supplemental food was supplied to the grids to eliminate food as a variable in the interaction between the two species. The rate of population increase for Mus was halved in the presence of Micortus in spite of nearly equal body growth rates, reproductive rates, and survival rates of trappable house mice on the two areas. However, recruitment of young into the trappable population was halved in the presence of Microtus. These field data and the data from a laboratory study of the two species in artificial burrow systems indicated that Microtus caused mortality of Mus nestlings.