Population and habitat dynamics of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) in a heterogeneous forest

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:5809566

Ormiston, B G

Movements and demography of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were determined by live-trapping and radiotelemetry in contiguous upland and lowland forest habitat to assess the extent of variation in local habitat distribution due to season, age, and sex factors. Mice were marked and recaptured monthly in 1980 and 1981 from April through December on a continuous 20 ha trapping grid, thus yielding 1486 captures of 397 individuals. Locations and activity of 43 mice were determined by radiotracking. Various measures of habitat suitability, including adult density, sex ratio, reproduction, persistence, home range size, and immigration, indicated a seasonal cycle of habitat suitability. Upland habitat appeared better for overwintering, and lowland habitat was superior relative to the upland from June through October. Tendencies for breeding females to be restricted to lowland, and for lowland males to display greater mean body weights and smaller home range sizes than upland males, were attributed to greater food availability in the lowland over this period. Individual P. leucopus use local habitats opportunistically, but variations in habitat distribution between the age- and sex-classes of the population noted during the breeding season suggest that local habitats provide a spatial framework for behavioral population regulation in P. leucopus. 49 references, 5 figures, 10 tables.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 5809566
• Report Number(s): BNL-51826; ON: DE85009279
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
DATA
DISTRIBUTION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FORESTS
HABITAT
INFORMATION
MAMMALS
MICE
NUMERICAL DATA
POPULATION DYNAMICS
RODENTS
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
VARIATIONS
VERTEBRATES