OBSERVATIONS ON.A CYCLIC DECLINE OF LEMMINGS ( L E M M U S) ON. THE ARCTIC COAST

• Main Author: Robert Rausch
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Barrow; Dicrostonyx groenlandicus; Point Barrow; Subarctic; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.554.9999; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic3-3-166.pdf

T HE importance to the biotic community of various species of lemmings in arctic and subarctic regions has long been recognized, but there is little known about the ecology of these mammals. During the spring of 1949 the writer had the good fortune to observe a cyclic decline in the population of the brown lemming on the Arctic Coast of Alaska. Obser-vations were made during the peak density preceding this decline (Fig. 1), and were continued for more than a year subsequent to it. It is t$e purpose of this paper to present the results of these studies. Two species of lemmings occur on the Arctic Slope of Alaska; they are the collared lemming, Dicrostonyx groenlandicus rubricatus (Richard-son), and the brown lemming, Lemlnus trimucronatus alascensis Merriam. While both of these were observed during the course of this study, only the brown lemming was present in great numbers. However, both species were affected by whatever factors were responsible for the mortality which caused a precipitous decline in lemming numbers. The writer began observations on lemmings in the Point Barrow region on 2 2 March 1949, when an effort was made to secure some of the rodents for parasitological examination. Field observations made over this period are briefly presented here. This opportunity is taken to express