Population dynamics of the collared lemming and the tundra vole at Pearce Point, Northwest Territories, Canada

• Main Authors: Krebs, Charles, Boonstra, Rudy, Kenney, Alice
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer-Verlag 1995
• Subjects: Cycles. Lemmings. Dicrostonyx glvenlandicus. Microtus oeconomus. Canadian Arctic; Arctic; Northwest Territories; Canada; Dicrostonyx groenlandicus; Tundra
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/472

From 1987 to 1989 we monitored population changes during summer of the collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) and the tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) at Pearce Point, Northwest Territories, Canada (690 48' N, 1220 40' W). Populations on four study areas did not cycle but remained at low density (<3/ha) each year and continued at low numbers for the following 3 years (Reid et al. 1995). Lemming numbers often declined throughout the summer in spite of continuous reproduction, and population recovery occurred overwinter. Heavy predation losses of radio-collared lemmings occurred each summer and this lemming population may be trapped in a predator-pit. Collared lemmings breed in winter and only because of winter population growth do these populations persist. Tundra vole numbers increased rapidly in most summers but usually declined overwinter. Tundra voles do not seem able to sustain winter re- production in this extreme environment and this prevents them from reaching high density because of the short summer. Population growth in both these rodents could be prevented by poor food or by predation losses, and landscape patchiness may also help to prevent population growth. For lemmings we do not think that a shortage of shelter or intrinsic limitations could be restricting population increase at Pearce Point. This is the first detailed study of a non-cyclic collared lemming population.