Population Fluctuations in Rodents

Charles J. Krebs

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780226010359
• eBook ISBN: 9780226010496
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Biological Sciences

How did rodent outbreaks in Germany help to end World War I? What caused the destructive outbreak of rodents in Oregon and California in the late 1950s, the large population outbreak of lemmings in Scandinavia in 2010, and the great abundance of field mice in Scotland in the spring of 2011? Population fluctuations, or outbreaks, of rodents constitute one of the classic problems of animal ecology, and in Population Fluctuations in Rodents, Charles J. Krebs sifts through the last eighty years of research to draw out exactly what we know about rodent outbreaks and what should be the agenda for future research.

           

Krebs has synthesized the research in this area, focusing mainly on the voles and lemmings of the Northern Hemisphere—his primary area of expertise—but also referring to the literature on rats and mice. He covers the patterns of changes in reproduction and mortality and the mechanisms that cause these changes—including predation, disease, food shortage, and social behavior—and discusses how landscapes can affect population changes, methodically presenting the hypotheses related to each topic before determining whether or not the data supports them. He ends on an expansive note, by turning his gaze outward and discussing how the research on rodent populations can apply to other terrestrial mammals. Geared toward advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and practicing ecologists interested in rodent population studies, this book will also appeal to researchers seeking to manage rodent populations and to understand outbreaks in both natural and urban settings—or, conversely, to protect endangered species.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Classifying Rodent Population Changes
• Chapter 2. Biogeography of Rodent Population Fluctuations
• Chapter 3. Reproductive Rates in Fluctuating Populations
• Chapter 4. Mortality Rates in Fluctuating Populations
• Chapter 5. Immigration and Emigration
• Chapter 6. Spatial Dynamics of Populations
• Chapter 7. How Can We Determine What Drives Population Changes?
• Chapter 8. The Food Hypothesis
• Chapter 9. Predation as the Explanation for Fluctuations
• Chapter 10. Disease as a Potential Factor in Population Changes
• Chapter 11. Self-Regulation Hypotheses for Fluctuations
• Chapter 12. Multifactor Explanations of Fluctuations
• Chapter 13. Models for Fluctuating Rodent Populations
• Chapter 14. Key Studies Yet to Be Done
• Chapter 15. Synthesis of Rodent Population Dynamics
• Chapter 16. Comparative Dynamics of Rodents and Other Mammals
• Bibliography
• Index