Twenty endemic
Microtus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) species have evolved in North America (Jaarola et al, 2004) in the last 1-2 million years (Chaline et al., 1999), suggesting this genus has a relatively rapid rate of speciation (Fink et al, 2010; Triant and DeWoody, 2006).
Among mammals, rodents (Rodentia), especially voles (
Microtus spp.), comprised the bulk of the diet, with the White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepws townsendii) and bat (Chiroptera spp.) also being occasionally predated.
For example, a recent attempt at bolstering endangered Amargosa vole (
Microtus californicus scirpensis) populations was seriously affected by very high mortality rates that occurred during a translocation event (26 of 29 died; J.
megalotis and to determine if competition for traps with meadow voles,
Microtus pennsylvanicus, contributes to this pattern.
Voles (
Microtus sp.) represented one third of the total of prey items (N = 20) and White-footed/Deer Mice (Peromyscus sp.) the remaining two-thirds (N = 40).
Shifting spacing behaviour of male field voles,
Microtus agrestis, over the reproductive season.
A total of 2208 trap nights resulted in 381 captures (overall CPUE = 17%), revealing 286 individuals of seven different species: 74 yellow necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), 66 field voles (
Microtus agrestis), 52 striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius), 47 bank voles (Myodes glareolus), 44 common shrews (Sorex araneus), 2 harvest mice (Micromys minutus), and 1 water vole (Arvicola terrestris).
A large part of contemporary landscapes is favourable for different taxa of voles such as
Microtus (Lasiopodomys) brandti,
Microtus (Stenocranius) gregalis, Alticola semicanus, Ellobius tancrei, which are relatively widespread and abundant (Sokolov & Orlov 1980, Dmitriev et al.
Herein, we determined if vegetation near prairie vole (
Microtus ochrogaster) nests differed from that of randomly sampled areas in the same habitat and if vegetation at nest locations and in habitat containing nests predicted female survival, offspring production, and pup survival.
Microtus pennsylvarnicus fed with 6% gallic acid diet, RMR were 13.6% and 22.6% higher than that of the controls on day 10 and 21 (Thomas et al., 1988).
(4-10%) voles in our study were less than in the NE Oregon study, where they were the 2 dominant small-bodied mammals (
Microtus spp., 25-30%; Myodes spp., 22-27%) (both P < 0.001) (Table 1).
A recent study suggests that common voles (
Microtus arvalis) are a key agent for human tularemia in northwestern Spain because of a spatial and temporal coincidence between human tularemia cases and increases in number of voles (5).
Microtus - voles of the northern hemisphere