Habitat use by small mammals in the Southwestern Yukon : the role of competitive interactions ...

• Main Author: Galindo, Carlos
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Subjects: Tundra; Yukon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0096062; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0096062

Many species of small mammals live in the southwestern Yukon. Most of them live in different habitats or overlap very little. However, their use of habitats changes as their populations fluctuate. In this study I investigated how far competitive interactions influence the use of habitats and relative abundance of the common species of mice. I worked in two ecotones. First, the ecotone between alpine meadows and subalpine shrub tundra. Here, populations of singing voles (Microtus miurus) and tundra voles (M. oeconomus) living in each habitat respectively, overlap little. Second, the ecotone between boreal forest and sedge meadow. Here, populations of deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) inhabiting the forest, meet with meadow voles (M. pennsylvanicus) living in the sedge meadows. If interspecific competition is influencing the habitat use and relative abundance of these species, then removal of one of them will change habitat use and abundance of the remaining ...