Cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus, were trapped and studied in Belize District, Belize, Central America from June 14, 1973 to July 13, 1973. Vegetation in the area was surveyed to determine height, extent of matting, and species composition. Comparisons were then made between vegetation and S. hispidus captures. A total of 48 S. hispidus,were captured, primarily in areas of tall and matted grass. S. hispidus appeared to be absent from areas of short grass.Reproduction, body size, sex ratio, parasites, and behavior of S. hispidus are discussed. Other mammals taken during the study included two specimens of Or_yzomys, fulvescens,, a species which had not previously been collected in Belize.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Population dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) were studied at Watch Lake, British Columbia. I attempted to determine how population size was regulated and compared life history tactics of the Watch Lake populations with those in other areas. Ninety-three percent of adult females and eight percent of yearling females had litters. The mean litter size was 6'. 1 ± .38. The size and weight of a female's litter were negatively correlated with her reproductive effort in the previous year. The annual mortality rate of juveniles was 62%; mortality of yearlings and adults was 33%. Most yearling males and a few yearling females emigrated. . The populations were expanding at a rate of increase of approximately .27. The Watch Lake colonies were generally larger and denser than those reported from other areas. Adult males were territorial throughout the active season. Adult females defended territories during pregnancy and lactation. This is the first report of female territoriality in Marmota flaviventris. Experiments indicated that' (1) adult males caused yearling males to emmigrate and (2) adult females inhibited reproduction of yearling females. I predict that numbers will stabilize through the territorial behaviour of breeding females either reducing the breeding success of females or increasing the emigration rate of yearling females. I describe an experiment to test this hypothesis. Marmot numbers near Watch Lake have been increasing for several decades as new habitat becomes available. Life history tactics of these populations differs from those inhabiting the stable environment of subalpine Colorado. Marmots at Watch Lake suffered greater mortality. They began breeding at a younger age than those in other populations. They allocated relatively more energy to.reproduction, produced larger litters of smaller young, and grew to smaller adult size. These differences are consistent with those predicted by the theory of r- and K- selection for colonizing and stable populations. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Unknown

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Queensland University of Technology, 2005. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Oct. 11, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-172).

No description available.

No description available.

La gestion de populations de rongeurs est importante car ils peuvent causer divers problèmes économiques, écologiques et sanitaires. Cette gestion s'appuie sur des méthodes de prévention, celles-ci étant des mesures architecturales, hygiéniques et des pratiques agricoles. Elle s'appuie également sur des méthodes de lutte biologique, chimique et mécanique. La lutte chimique se fait principalement avec l'utilisation de rodenticides anticoagulants qui agissent plusieurs heures après ingestion permettant d'éviter l'éviction alimentaire. L'utilisation excessive de ces molécules a entrainé la sélection de résistance chez certains individus rendant leur utilisation peu efficace. Il y a alors eu le développement de nouvelles molécules, mais celles-ci sont plus écotoxiques. Nous nous sommes intéressés dans ces travaux de thèse à la gestion de populations de rongeurs dans un cadre de risque sanitaire leptospirosique. Les rongeurs sont les principaux réservoirs de leptospires pathogènes, des bactéries Spirochètes responsables de la leptospirose. La leptospirose est une zoonose ré-émergeante à répartition mondiale dont le nombre de cas annuel est évalué à approximativement un million et dont il y a eu une augmentation du nombre de cas ces dernières années. Elle est endémique en régions tropicales. C'est une maladie dont l'incidence réelle est sous-estimée en raison notamment de la grande variabilité de symptômes possibles allant du syndrome grippal à des formes rénales. Le taux de mortalité est élevé aux alentours de 10% mais pouvant aller jusqu'à 50% dans certains cas avec des complications pulmonaires. De nombreux facteurs influent sur le cycle complexe de transmission de la leptospirose. Il peut y avoir un risque sanitaire lié à la présence de rongeurs porteurs de leptospires pathogènes, qui peut être difficile à contrôler si les rongeurs sont résistants aux rodenticides anticoagulants utilisés pour réguler leurs populations. De plus, il peut y avoir des problèmes d'exposition à des risques écotoxiques lors de mise en place de traitements chimiques. Nous avons étudié plusieurs cas concrets montrant la difficulté dans la prise de décision liée à la gestion des rongeurs dans des contextes divers. Dans un contexte de problèmes économiques, nous avons analysé le portage de leptospires pathogènes par des campagnols des champs et des campagnols terrestres ainsi que la résistance de cible à la bromadiolone, molécule utilisée en lutte chimique à basse densité de population. Nous nous sommes intéressés à l'influence de la perception sociétale sur le risque sanitaire lié à des souris dans un élevage bovin dans lequel il y a des cas de leptospirose humaine et de leptospirose bovine. Dans le cadre d'un projet visant à étudier l'efficacité de gestion de populations de rongeurs commensaux en Martinique dans un contexte leptospirosique, nous avons regardé l'exposition des rongeurs aux AVKs et la résistance de cible aux AVKs. Pour le portage de leptospires pathogènes par les campagnols nous avons trouvé des prévalences allant de 3% à 53% selon la zone étudiée. Il y avait 3 mutations sur le gène vkorc1 amenant peu de résistance de cible à la bromadiolone. Dans l'élevage bovin nous avons notamment trouvé que la perception sociétale de l'éleveur sous-estimait le risque lié aux souris dont 41% étaient porteuses de leptospires pathogènes et 50% étaient porteuses de mutations du gène vkorc1 amenant de la résistance de cible aux AVKs. En Martinique nous avons trouvé que 54% des individus analysés avaient été exposé à au moins une molécule AVKs et qu'il y avait plusieurs mutations du gène vkorc1 dont certaines pas encore caractérisées amenant de la résistance de cible aux AVKs. La gestion des rongeurs est un problème complexe avec plusieurs facteurs à prendre en compte que ce soient les risques liés à l'exposition aux rongeurs ou ceux liés à l'utilisation de rodenticides anticoagulants [etc...] / Management of rodent populations is important because they can cause various economic, ecologic and health problems. This management relies on prevention methods, these ones being architectural, hygienic and agricultural practices. It relies on biologic, chemical and mechanic control methods. Chemical control methods are made mainly with the use of anticoagulant rodenticide acting several hours after ingestion to provide food eviction. Excessive use of these molecules led to resistance selection of some individuals yielding their use underperforming. Then there has been new molecules development, but they are more ecotoxic. In these thesisworks we are interested in management of rodent populations within a framework of health risk of leptospirosis. Rodents are main reservoirs of pathogenic leptospires, Spirochete bacterias responsible of leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a worldwide re-emerging zoonosis of which there are approximately one million of cases each year and of which there is an increasing number of cases these last years. It is endemic in tropical regions. It is a disease of which real incidence is underestimated because of especially large variability of possible symptoms ranging from flu syndrome to renal forms. Mortality rate is high around 10% and up to 50% in certain cases with pulmonary complications. Numerous factors influence on complex transmission cycle of leptospirosis. There can be health risk associated with presence of rodent carriers of pathogenic leptospires, which can be difficult to control if rodents are resistant to anticoagulant rodenticides used to regulate their populations. Furthermore, there can have exposition problems to ecotoxic risks throughout establishment of chemical treatment. We studied several concrete cases showing the difficulty in decision-making relied with rodent management in various contexts. In a context of economic problems, we analysed pathogenic leptospires carriage by meadow voles and ground voles as well as target resistance to bromadiolone, used molecule in chemical control of low population density. We are interested in influence of societal perception on health risk relied with mice in bovine farming in which there are human and bovine leptospirosis cases. In framework of a project leading to study efficiency of commensal rodent populations management in Martinique in a leptospirosis context, we looked rodent exposition to AVKs and target resistance to AVKs. For pathogenic leptospires carriage by voles we found prevalence ranging from 3% to 53% according to studied area. There were 3 mutations on vkorc1 gene leading to few target resistances to bromadiolone. In the bovine farming we found especially that societal perception of the breeder underestimated risk relied with mice of which 41% were carriers of pathogenic leptospires and 50% were carriers of vkorc1 gene mutations leading to target resistance to AVKs. In Martinique we found that 54% of analysed individuals have been exposed to at least one AVKs molecules and that there were several vkorc1 gene mutations in which certain were not characterised yet leading to target resistance to AVKs. Rodent management is a complex problem with several factors to take into account whether risks relied with rodent exposition or those relied with the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Furthermore, the concept of risk is scientific but the perception which is subjective participates in decision-making of a way of management

North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding scars on trees were used as an index of past porcupine abundance in the Bas St. Laurent region of eastern Quebec, Canada. The frequency distribution of scars revealed that porcupine populations have fluctuated regularly over the past 130 years in the Bas St. Laurent region, with superimposed periodicities of 11 and 22 years. This porcupine population cycle has closely followed the 11 and 22-year solar activity cycles. An analysis of local temperature and precipitation data revealed a close relationship between fluctuations in annual precipitation and both the solar cycle and the porcupine cycle. These results suggest that the solar cycle has sufficiently important effects on the climate along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence estuary to influence terrestrial ecosystem functioning to the point of setting the rhythm of porcupine population fluctuations. This is the strongest available evidence of a top-down cascading effect of solar variability on ecological systems at the decadal time scale and local spatial scale. These results confirm and extend those obtained by others at greater temporal and spatial scales and provide exciting opportunities for future research on the extensively debated topic of solar variability and its impact on our planet.

Past research suggests that social organisation in Australian rodent species is determined by the predictability of resources in the environment (Happold 1976a). Notomys alexis (the spinifex hopping mouse or tarrkawarra) is widely distributed throughout the Australian arid-zone (Breed 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Large groups of animals have been found sharing burrows in the wild and laboratory observations suggest that the species is highly social (Happold 1976a; Stanley 1971). A closely related species, Notomys mitchelli (Mitchell’s hopping mouse or pankot) is relatively common throughout the southern semi-arid zone (Watts 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Much less is known about N. mitchelli; field studies have been subject to low recapture rates and few laboratory studies have involved this species (Baverstock 1979; Cockburn 1981a; Crichton 1974). Following Happold (1976a), it was hypothesised that the socio-ecology of N. mitchelli will be qualitatively different to that of N. alexis. Studying wild populations of Notomys mitchelli in the Middleback Ranges, South Australia and N. alexis outside the desert township of Roxby Downs, S.A., this research aimed to describe the socio-ecology of these species, with reference to the predictability of their environments. Uniquely, bioclimatic modelling of the species’ known distributions was also conducted to confirm that the study’s underlying assumption that the two rodents inhabit essentially different environments was correct. These studies were complemented by the observation of captive groups of N. alexis. This work confirmed that the habitats of Notomys mitchelli and N. alexis are distinct; the more arid habitat of N. alexis is subject to greater environmental fluctuations than that of the semi-arid dwelling N. mitchelli. Contrary to expectations, however, observation of free-living animals characterised N. mitchelli social groups as highly unstable; while particular individuals remained in the population for long periods, many animals appeared to be transients. Further, burrow groups appeared to be much smaller than predicted by Happold (1976a), and based on loose aggregations of male animals rather than small groups of females. While decidedly social in the laboratory, free-living N. alexis lived in groups no bigger than N. mitchelli and these groups were equally ephemeral in constitution. Moreover, free-living N. alexis appeared to utilise activity areas that were no larger than those used by N. mitchelli, despite occupying a more unpredictable and apparently less well-resourced habitat. As a whole, this research represents a comprehensive examination of the principal behavioural theory commonly applied to Australian native rodent species, untested since its publication three decades ago. From the data collected during this work, it cannot be said that the environmental predictability hypothesis for native rodent social organisations as proposed by Happold (1976a) is adequate to differentiate the social behaviour of these semi-arid and arid-dwelling species. Instead, it is suggested that, while both N. mitchelli and N. alexis are undoubtedly socially tolerant, predation and/or parasite load, driving burrowing behaviour, has a greater influence on the social behaviour of free-living rodent populations than habitat predictability. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1373743 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Past research suggests that social organisation in Australian rodent species is determined by the predictability of resources in the environment (Happold 1976a). Notomys alexis (the spinifex hopping mouse or tarrkawarra) is widely distributed throughout the Australian arid-zone (Breed 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Large groups of animals have been found sharing burrows in the wild and laboratory observations suggest that the species is highly social (Happold 1976a; Stanley 1971). A closely related species, Notomys mitchelli (Mitchell’s hopping mouse or pankot) is relatively common throughout the southern semi-arid zone (Watts 1998a; Watts & Aslin 1981). Much less is known about N. mitchelli; field studies have been subject to low recapture rates and few laboratory studies have involved this species (Baverstock 1979; Cockburn 1981a; Crichton 1974). Following Happold (1976a), it was hypothesised that the socio-ecology of N. mitchelli will be qualitatively different to that of N. alexis. Studying wild populations of Notomys mitchelli in the Middleback Ranges, South Australia and N. alexis outside the desert township of Roxby Downs, S.A., this research aimed to describe the socio-ecology of these species, with reference to the predictability of their environments. Uniquely, bioclimatic modelling of the species’ known distributions was also conducted to confirm that the study’s underlying assumption that the two rodents inhabit essentially different environments was correct. These studies were complemented by the observation of captive groups of N. alexis. This work confirmed that the habitats of Notomys mitchelli and N. alexis are distinct; the more arid habitat of N. alexis is subject to greater environmental fluctuations than that of the semi-arid dwelling N. mitchelli. Contrary to expectations, however, observation of free-living animals characterised N. mitchelli social groups as highly unstable; while particular individuals remained in the population for long periods, many animals appeared to be transients. Further, burrow groups appeared to be much smaller than predicted by Happold (1976a), and based on loose aggregations of male animals rather than small groups of females. While decidedly social in the laboratory, free-living N. alexis lived in groups no bigger than N. mitchelli and these groups were equally ephemeral in constitution. Moreover, free-living N. alexis appeared to utilise activity areas that were no larger than those used by N. mitchelli, despite occupying a more unpredictable and apparently less well-resourced habitat. As a whole, this research represents a comprehensive examination of the principal behavioural theory commonly applied to Australian native rodent species, untested since its publication three decades ago. From the data collected during this work, it cannot be said that the environmental predictability hypothesis for native rodent social organisations as proposed by Happold (1976a) is adequate to differentiate the social behaviour of these semi-arid and arid-dwelling species. Instead, it is suggested that, while both N. mitchelli and N. alexis are undoubtedly socially tolerant, predation and/or parasite load, driving burrowing behaviour, has a greater influence on the social behaviour of free-living rodent populations than habitat predictability. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1373743 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009