Cyclic dynamics of a boreal southern red-backed vole population in northwestern Quebec
In Fennoscandia, red-backed vole populations ( Myodes spp.) often show regular fluctuations of abundance of 3- to 5-year periods. In contrast, only a few populations show evidence of cyclic fluctuations in North America. From 2001 to 2009, we livetrapped southern red-backed voles ( Myodes gapperi )...
| Published in: | Journal of Mammalogy |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jmammal.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/96/3/573 https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyv062 |
| Summary: | In Fennoscandia, red-backed vole populations ( Myodes spp.) often show regular fluctuations of abundance of 3- to 5-year periods. In contrast, only a few populations show evidence of cyclic fluctuations in North America. From 2001 to 2009, we livetrapped southern red-backed voles ( Myodes gapperi ) in 3 mature jack pine and 3 mature black spruce forest stands in the Muskuchii hills region, Quebec, Canada. We found that their density fluctuated (up to 41-fold) with a cyclical pattern and 4-year periods. Our study is the first to demonstrate cyclic dynamics in a southern red-backed vole population found in the boreal forest of North America. Regular pulse of food or heavy predation may be responsible for the fluctuations of southern red-backed voles. Furthermore, vole cycles may help elucidate the factors driving the irruptions of owls in the boreal forest. |
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