Habitat type modulates sharp body mass oscillations in cyclic common vole populations

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Olea, Pedro P., Diego, Noelia de, García, Jesús T., Viñuela, Javier
• Other Authors: Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (España), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Fundación BBVA, Comunidad de Madrid, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Junta de Castilla y León
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 2024
• Subjects: Common vole; Microtus arvalis
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/365104; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62687-8

Cyclic rodent populations exhibit pronounced changes in body mass associated with the population cycle phase, long-known as Chitty effect. Although Chitty effect is a common epiphenomenon in both America and Europe, there is still incomplete evidence about the generality of these patterns across the entire range of most species. Moreover, despite decades of research, the underlying factors driving Chitty effect remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may underlie observed patterns in vole size variation in the Iberian common vole Microtus arvalis asturianus. We weighed and measured 2816 adult voles that were captured during 6 trapping periods. Vole numbers and body mass showed strong period- and phase-related variation both in females and males, demonstrating marked Chitty effect in the studied population. Body mass of adult males correlated with body length, evidencing that heavier males are also structurally larger. Statistical models showed that probability of occurrence of large-sized vole (> 37 g) was significantly more likely in reproductive males, during increase and peak phases, and it was modulated by habitat, with crop fields and field margins between crops showing an increased likelihood. We suggest an effect of the habitat on vole body mass mediated by predation. This study was funded by I+D National Plan Projects of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (TOPILLAZO-CGL2011-30274 and MOVITOPI-CGL2015-71255-P, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund FEDER, EU), Fundación BBVA Research Project TOPIGEPLA (2014 call) and MAPAMA/TRAGSATEC to GREFA (biological control program). Researchers at TEG-UAM were also funded by REMEDINAL TE-CM Research Network (P2018/EMT4338). Noelia de Diego was supported by a master thesis grant “Fomento de la Investigación” funded by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. We also thank the Junta de Castilla y León for the permits for trapping and manipulation of voles (EP-CYL/31/2013 and ...