Rodent cycles in relation to biomass and productivity of ground vegetation and predation in the Palearctic

• Main Authors: Jędrzejewski, W., Jędrzejewska, B.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1996
• Subjects: generalist predators; ground vegetation biomass; Palaearctic; predation; productivity; rodent cycles; specialist predators; taiga; Tundra
• Online Access: https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/12613/content

Authors have synthesized the data on population dynamics and densites of rodents in seven biomes of the Palearctic (mainly western parts), and related them to the data on standing crop of biomass and the net productivity of ground vegetation (as rough indicators of food availability to rodents). Analysis of 44 long-term (≥ 5 years) series of rodent trapping showed that there was a continuum from highly cyclic to non-cyclic populations. Rodents inhabiting tundra, taiga, steppe, and farmlands (wintercrops) in the temperate zone have highest cyclicity indices. Definetely non-cyclic are rodents in the temperate forests (mixed and deciduous forests, steppe woodland) and desert. Authors have synthesized the data on population dynamics and densites of rodents in seven biomes of the Palearctic (mainly western parts), and related them to the data on standing crop of biomass and the net productivity of ground vegetation (as rough indicators of food availability to rodents). Analysis of 44 long-term (≥ 5 years) series of rodent trapping showed that there was a continuum from highly cyclic to non-cyclic populations. Rodents inhabiting tundra, taiga, steppe, and farmlands (wintercrops) in the temperate zone have highest cyclicity indices. Definetely non-cyclic are rodents in the temperate forests (mixed and deciduous forests, steppe woodland) and desert.