The impact of short‐term predator removal on vole dynamics in an arctic‐alpine landscape

• Published in: Oikos
• Main Authors: Ekerholm, Per, Oksanen, Lauri, Oksanen, Tarja, Schneider, Michael
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2004
• Subjects: Arctic; Fennoscandian; Mustela nivalis; Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12639.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.0030-1299.2004.12639.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12639.x

During 1991–95, mammalian predators (weasel, Mustela nivalis , stoat, M. erminea , mink, M. vison , and red fox, Vulpes vulpes ) were excluded in late summers from a 2 ha piece of a north Norwegian mountain slope. The exclosure extended from an outpost of luxuriant sub‐arctic birch forest to a typical arctic–alpine habitat complex, including productive willow scrublands, tundra heaths, dry ridges and snow‐beds. The exclosure thus encompassed the entire range of habitat conditions encountered in a typical north Fennoscandian mountain and tundra landscapes. During 1991–95, the exclosure was predator‐proof from late July to late September. In wintertime and in early summer, the exclosure was accessible to mammalian predators. Vole dynamics in the short‐term exclosure were compared to dynamics in five reference areas with similar habitat conditions. In 1991, when vole densities were rising in the area, neither collective vole densities nor densities of individual vole species differed significantly between the exclosure and the replicated controls. Spring densities of voles were never significantly different between the exclosure and the controls. With respect to autumnal densities of voles, however, the exclosure was a statistical outlier in the peak year 1992 and throughout the gradual decline phase of 1993–95. In the peak year, the difference in collective vole densities was modest (30%), but increased to two‐fold during the first two decline years and was almost four‐fold in the crash year of 1995. The strongest response was displayed by field voles ( Microtus agrestis ), hypothesized to be the pivotal prey species of weasels, especially by females and young individuals, i.e. by the functional categories especially sensitive to mammalian predation. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that predation plays a pivotal role for the regulation of herbivorous mammals in relatively productive arctic–alpine habitats.