A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Relaxed competition during winter may explain the coexistence of two sympatric Microtus species
Tekijät: Hoset KS, Steen H
Kustantaja: FINNISH ZOOLOGICAL BOTANICAL PUBLISHING BOARD
Julkaisuvuosi: 2007
Lehti:: Annales Zoologici Fennici
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: ANNALES ZOOLOGICI FENNICI
Lehden akronyymi: ANN ZOOL FENN
Vuosikerta: 44
Numero: 6
Aloitussivu: 415
Lopetussivu: 424
Sivujen määrä: 10
ISSN: 0003-455X
Tiivistelmä
Root voles (Microtus oeconomus) are competitively superior during summer and locally displace field voles (M. agrestis). Since the two species co-exist in many areas, competition may be relaxed or reversed during winter. To assess the competitive interaction during winter, we used PIT tags to study activity patterns and home range overlap of the two species in two enclosures with food-supplemented and non-supplemented plots during the winter of 2002-2003. Additionally, we established single species systems of root-vole and field-vole populations in the winter of 2004. Home-range size was smaller and activity lower in field voles than in root voles, and food supplementation caused an increase in activity in both species. Activity and home-range size in either species was not affected by the presence of the other. Despite the different activity patterns of the two species, home range overlap between field voles and root voles did not differ from random in the food-supplemented plots. In the non-supplemented plots daily overlap was higher than expected. As predicted, we were not able to detect any interference competition between field and root voles during winter. This supports our hypothesis that coexistence between the two may be caused by relaxed contest competition during winter.
Root voles (Microtus oeconomus) are competitively superior during summer and locally displace field voles (M. agrestis). Since the two species co-exist in many areas, competition may be relaxed or reversed during winter. To assess the competitive interaction during winter, we used PIT tags to study activity patterns and home range overlap of the two species in two enclosures with food-supplemented and non-supplemented plots during the winter of 2002-2003. Additionally, we established single species systems of root-vole and field-vole populations in the winter of 2004. Home-range size was smaller and activity lower in field voles than in root voles, and food supplementation caused an increase in activity in both species. Activity and home-range size in either species was not affected by the presence of the other. Despite the different activity patterns of the two species, home range overlap between field voles and root voles did not differ from random in the food-supplemented plots. In the non-supplemented plots daily overlap was higher than expected. As predicted, we were not able to detect any interference competition between field and root voles during winter. This supports our hypothesis that coexistence between the two may be caused by relaxed contest competition during winter.
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