Jd. Peles et al., POPULATION-DYNAMICS OF AGOUTI AND ALBINO MEADOW VOLES IN HIGH-QUALITY, GRASSLAND HABITATS, Journal of mammalogy, 76(4), 1995, pp. 1013-1019
Populations of agouti and albino meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus
) were censused weekly within eight 0.1-ha enclosures (four replicates
per treatment) from 26 June to 4 December 1992. Results supported the
hypothesis that there was no significant difference in the growth and
structure of populations of albino meadow voles compared to populatio
ns of agouti meadow voles within habitats of high nutritional quality
and heavy vegetative cover. No significant difference in mean-weekly d
ensities of populations or rates of recruitment was found between coat
-color treatments. Few significant differences in measures of populati
on quality, such as the percentage of adults in breeding condition or
differences in mean body mass of adults, occurred between treatments.
During the removal period (6 December 1992 through 2 January 1993), 77
0 voles (478 albino and 292 agouti) were captured. A large percentage
of albino (87%) and agouti (76%) voles removed during this period had
not been captured previously suggesting that live-trapping may be a po
or estimator of population density of meadow voles in habitats of high
quality.