珠江三角洲农田小家鼠种群生态的几个问题

小家鼠(Mus musculus Linnaeus)野外种群生态的研究,在北方有青海省生物研究所新疆鼠害研究组(1975)的新疆小家鼠数量季节性变化的研究,而在华南地区,这类系统的研究尚不多见。本文仅涉及珠江三角洲农田小家鼠的食性、繁殖和寄生线虫等方面,并对种群数量变动进行一些探讨。     

珠江三角洲黄毛鼠种群繁殖特征的研究

本文从1987年3月～1989年12月,研究了珠江三角洲虎门地区黄毛鼠种群繁殖,研究结果表明:①黄毛鼠种群性比雄性要大于雌性,但是幼年、亚成年体中雌性稍大于雄性。另外,本文还比较了不同季节的性比变化。②对于雄牲繁殖特征,本文重点研究了睾丸重量与体重的相关关系。③雌性的怀孕率最高峰期为9～10月,12月～2月怀孕率最低,可以认为是非繁殖期。本文还讨论了雌性的繁殖指数,反映种群在不同季节的繁殖强度和年度变化。     

华中地区小家鼠生物学特性观察

华中地区农村小家鼠的个体较小,主要栖息于农舍,终年繁殖,繁殖高峰期为７月和８月,１－３月为繁殖低谷期;种群数量高峰在９月,低谷期在７－８月,冬季的种群数量水平较高,呈后峰型。在较高的密度条件下,雌鼠的怀孕率降低,性成熟延缓。     

中国啮齿类繁殖参数的地理变异

本文综述了我国8个鼠种(Cricetulus triton,Cricetulus barabensis,Microtus fortis,Apo—demus agrarius,Rattus norvegicus,Rattus losea,Rattus flavipectus,Mus musculus)的繁殖参数在不同纬度、经度和海拔上的变异趋势。8种鼠的胎仔数,怀胎率和生殖强度(胎仔数×怀胎率/性比)随纬度、海拔增加有增加的趋势;繁殖期和性比()有减小趋势。各繁殖参数在经度上的变化规律尚不清楚。野外小家鼠的胎仔数,雌性比例、怀胎率和生殖强度均比居民区大。 在高纬度、高海拔地区,种群增大生殖强度在于补偿较短的繁殖期和较低的存活率,以维持种群稳定和繁衍成功。这种繁殖对策是自然选择的结果。     

麝鼠种群年龄的研究

利用新疆等地区的597号麝鼠头骨标本和其它材料,研究种群年龄组成。主要依据左侧第一上臼齿齿根的形成、生长和齿冠磨损的程度,并分析了头骨的形态变化及测量数据,以及体重、体长、繁殖等和年龄的关系,初步得如下结果: 1.根据各方面的特征,划分为六个年龄组。 2.头骨、体重、体长有明显的年龄变化。 3.种群年龄组成有明显的季节变化,种群中性比随年龄而有差异。新疆地区一年繁殖2—3次。种群年龄组成的研究,为麝鼠资源的合理利用提供了资料。     

黑线姬鼠(Apodemus agrarius)的种群繁殖参数及其地理分异特征

黑线姬鼠（Apodemus agrarius）是我国广大地区的主要害鼠之一,是余庆县农田害鼠优势种,占总鼠数的94.81%。探讨其种群繁殖参数的变动规律及其地理分异特征,对其种群数量预测预报具有重要意义。通过对1987-2005年贵州省余庆县黑线姬鼠种群繁殖参数分析结果表明：研究期间共解剖标本5497只,其中,雌鼠2698只,雄鼠2799只,黑线姬鼠在当地1-11月份均可繁殖,主要繁殖期在3-10月份,每年4-5月份和8-9月份出现2次妊娠高峰。种群总性比（♀/♂）为0.96,多年平均怀孕率为36.91%±6.79%,平均胎仔数为5.33±1.07只,平均繁殖指数为0.81±0.17,平均睾丸下降率为59.13%±7.89%。不同年龄组种群繁殖力存在显著差异,随着种群年龄的增长繁殖力不断增加,成年Ⅰ组、成年Ⅱ组、老年组是种群繁殖的主体。种群繁殖参数不同年度之间比较稳定,不同月份、不同季节之间变化差异较大,具有明显的季节变化特征。年均种群密度与年均繁殖指数呈极显著正相关,与胎仔数显著正相关,与年均怀孕率、睾丸下降率、性比相关性不显著,繁殖指数是影响黑线姬鼠种群密度的重要因子。比较全国各地黑线姬鼠种群繁殖参数的地理分异特征认为,黑线姬鼠种群繁殖参数具有明显的地理分异现象,胎仔数、生殖强度由南向北逐渐增加,具有随纬度的升高趋向增加的特征;在高纬度地区繁殖时间较短;性比与纬度、经度的变化关系密切;各繁殖参数与海拔的变化相关性不明显,可排除海拔因素的影响。     

河北塞罕坝秋季黑琴鸡种群密度调查

2009年10月对河北塞罕坝地区的黑琴鸡(Lyrurus tetrix)秋季种群密度进行了专项集中调查。结果表明,秋季种群密度为2.20只/km2;与历史资料对比,该地区黑琴鸡种群密度呈明显下降趋势;种群分布发生了变化;繁殖基数、繁殖成功率下降和秋季猎捕是造成黑琴鸡秋季数量下降的主要因素。目前,加强管理、阻止盗猎活动是保护当地黑琴鸡种群的最有效措施。     

小家鼠(Mus musculus)种群动态预测及机制的探讨

我国学者夏武平(1966)用9月铗日捕获率预测东北棕背(鼠平)(Clethrionomys rufocanus)数量以来,严志堂等(1983)应用种群年龄结构的回归方程预测新疆天山北麓农区塔西河地区的小家鼠(Mus musculus)种群密度获初步成功,并根据该文提供的一个改进公式M₁₀=5.60x+5.80(x表示种群年龄的成亚比,M₁₀表示小家鼠10月数量,即年内最高数量),提前11个月预测该地的小家鼠种群最高数量。     

贵州地区黑线姬鼠种群繁殖特征

黑线姬鼠(Apodemus agrarius)是贵州地区分布广泛的主要农田害鼠之一,掌握其种群繁殖特征可为种群动态的预测预报提供基础资料。1984~2014年间,采用夹夜法逐月调查了贵州省余庆县8个县(市)监测点黑线姬鼠种群动态数据,分析了其种群性比、雌鼠怀孕率和平均胎仔数、雄鼠睾丸下降率等主要繁殖生物学指标及其地理差异和季节性变动规律,明确了贵州地区黑线姬鼠种群的繁殖特征。共捕获黑线姬鼠20 113只,不同地区种群间,除平均胎仔数有显著差异外(χ~2=36.503,df=7,P0.01),其他繁殖特征值均没有差异。从时间序列看,种群中雌鼠怀孕率和雄鼠睾丸下降率的季节性变化均表现为春季(4~5月)及夏末秋初(8~9月)达到高峰的双峰型。雌鼠产仔数一般2~10只,4~7只最为常见(占93.87%)。不同季节平均胎仔数差异不大。贵州地区黑线姬鼠繁殖的总体特点为全年繁殖,春秋两季为繁殖的高峰期,冬季(12月份和翌年1、2月份)繁殖强度明显低于其他季节(F_(11,84)=61.92,P0.01),但种群密度表现为6月达到最高点的单峰型特点。     

城镇灭鼠后鼠类种群数量的恢复及其控制对策的探讨

根据室内繁殖和野外调查获得的生态学数据及种群参数,从理论上分析我国南方城镇主要害鼠（褐家鼠、小家鼠、黄胸鼠）种群的数量恢复动态．研究不同杀灭效果和杀灭时间间隔对种群恢复的影响。并从实践出发,提出城镇灭鼠后控制害鼠种群数量恢复的措施,以达到长期控制城镇害鼠的目标。     

Changes in body condition and body size affect breeding and recruitment in fluctuating house mouse populations in south‐eastern Australia

Changes in body condition and body size in field populations of house mice, Mus domesticus, were examined to investigate why mouse populations do not increase rapidly in some years when favourable environmental and demographic conditions indicate they might. Mice had repeated seasonal patterns each year in breeding, growth rates and body condition that reflected the seasonal availability of food, but mean levels for each parameter varied among years. In most years mice lost body condition during summer, breeding declined and population growth slowed. Rapid population growth occurred when body condition was generally high and was maintained throughout summer. Female mice with large body length were more likely to breed than smaller mice, at all times, but changes in body condition accounted for most of the variability in female breeding activity between years and between habitats, and for the seasonal changes in the importance of body length. During rapid population growth, the recruitment rate of juveniles relative to the number of breeding females was 150–300% higher than in other years but adult survival rates were not higher. The data indicate that the ability of mice to maintain body condition, particularly when subject to moisture stress in summer, affects the proportion of females breeding, the number of juveniles weaned and their body condition at weaning, and is promoted by foraging conditions that favour maintenance of juvenile body condition after weaning. These factors, in turn, greatly affect juvenile recruitment rates and eventual population density of mice. Low juvenile survival is suggested as a reason that numbers of house mice in southern Australian cereal‐growing areas do not increase rapidly in some years when other parameters are favourable. Similar processes are likely to play a role in regulating other rodent populations.     

Reproductive changes in fluctuating house mouse populations in southeastern Australia

House mice (Mus domesticus) in the Victorian mallee region of southeastern Australia show irregular outbreaks. Changes in reproductive output that could potentially drive changes in mouse numbers were assessed from 1982 to 2000. Litter size in females is positively correlated with body size. When standardized to an average size female, litter size changes seasonally from highest in spring to lowest in autumn and winter. Litter size is depressed throughout breeding seasons that begin when the abundance of mice is high, but is similar in breeding seasons over which the abundance of mice increases rapidly or remains low. Breeding begins early and is extended on average by about five weeks during seasons when mouse abundance increases rapidly. The size at which females begin to reproduce is larger during breeding seasons that begin when mouse abundance is high. An extended breeding season that begins early in spring is necessary for the generation of a house mouse plague, but it is not in itself sufficient. Reproductive changes in outbreaks of house mice in Australia are similar but not identical to reproductive changes that accompany rodent population increases in the Northern Hemisphere. We conclude that food quality, particularly protein, is a probable mechanism driving these reproductive changes, but experimental evidence for field populations is conflicting.     

Aspects of reproductive biology of Labeo horie Heckel (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Chamo, Ethiopia

Labeo horie Heckel is increasingly becoming commercially important in Lake Chamo but its reproductive biology in the lake is not well enough to guide its management. Sex ratio, breeding season, length at first maturity and fecundity of L. horie were studied from 1197 fish samples collected between August 1998 and October 1999 in Lake Chamo, Ethiopia. The sex ratio was significantly different (χ ² = 12.12, P < 0.001). The peak‐breeding period was during the rainy months of March to May, during which time more than 90% of both sexes had ripe gonads. The size at maturity ( L _m50 ) of males was 52 cm while the L _m50 of females was 62 cm. The smallest ripe male in the catch was 46.7 cm and weighed 890 g while the smallest ripe female caught was 49.5 cm and weighed 1145 g. The weight of ripe ovaries ranged from 54.3 g to 991.8 g and contained between 68,400 and 1,320,400 eggs. Relative fecundity ranged between 60 and 290 eggs per g of body weight. The relationships between fecundity and total length and between fecundity and total weight were curvilinear, while the relationship between fecundity and ovary weight was linear. L. horie conformed to the general pattern of reproduction in a tropical environment where peak‐breeding activity occurred during the rainy season. In order to protect the spawning population, fishing pressure should be minimized during breeding time at the shallower littoral regions.     

Regulation of reproduction rate in a cyclic population of the red-backed vole,Clethrionomys rufocanus bedfordiae

Changes of the components of reproduction were analyzed quantitatively in a two-year cyclic population (which has two peaks in alternate years during a five-year census) of the red-backed vole, Clethrionomys rufocanus bedfordiae, with reference to its regulatory mechanism: (1) Variation in sex ratios was not associated with population phase or density, although a higher percentage of females in mature individuals was observed in the increase phase. (2) Females attained to sexual maturity at younger age and at lighter body weight than did males. All the youngest mature individuals were found in the low and the increase phases. Age and size at maturity became older and larger as the population went toward the peak phase. (3) Maturation rate was strongly associated with population phase and density; this component is an important and good parameter to predict population trend. Maturation rates were in the order, the low phase>the increase phase>the peak phase>the decline phase; the differences in the rates among these phases were significant. Maturation rate was somewhat depressed when the population density exceeded about 40 individuals/ha. Changes in age at maturity and in maturation rate are interpreted as derivative phenomena related to the population density and the capacity of the number of mature voles per unit area. (4) The maximum number of mature individuals were 26 males/ha and 29 females/ha; there was almost no increase of the number of mature voles at higher population densities over about 40 individuals/ha. The number of exclusive home ranges per hectare calculated from the observed range lengths did not differ much from the maximum number of mature voles of either sex. (5) Length of breeding period was shorter in the high-density years than in the low-density years; the breeding started earlier and ended earlier in the former than that in the latter. In the increase phase a few voles reproduced in winter. (6) The percentage of pregnant females was significantly lower in the peak phase than those in the other phases.     

Maternal Natal Environment and Breeding Territory Predict the Condition and Sex Ratio of Offspring

Females in a variety of taxa adjust offspring sex ratios to prevailing ecological conditions. However, little is known about whether conditions experienced during a female’s early ontogeny influence the sex ratio of her offspring. We tested for past and present ecological predictors of offspring sex ratios among known-age females that were produced as offspring and bred as adults in a population of house wrens. The body condition of offspring that a female produced and the proportion of her offspring that were male were negatively correlated with the size of the brood in which she herself was reared. The proportion of sons within broods was negatively correlated with maternal hatching date, and varied positively with the quality of a female’s current breeding territory as predicted. However, females producing relatively more sons than daughters were less likely to return to breed in the population the following year. Although correlative, our results suggest that the rearing environment can have enduring effects on later maternal investment and sex allocation. Moreover, the overproduction of sons relative to daughters may increase costs to a female’s residual reproductive value, constraining the extent to which sons might be produced in high-quality breeding conditions. Sex allocation in birds remains a contentious subject, largely because effects on offspring sex ratios are small. Our results suggest that offspring sex ratios are shaped by various processes and trade-offs that act throughout the female life history and ultimately reduce the extent of sex-ratio adjustment relative to classic theoretical predictions.     

Effect of additional food and water on house mice in a semi‐arid agricultural environment in Australia

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that providing high‐quality food and water would increase reproduction, survival and population size in house mice living in a semi‐arid cropping environment in the mallee region of western Victoria, Australia, where outbreaks of house mice (Mus domesticus) occur irregularly. We employed a factorial design and applied treatments along internal fencelines (16 sites), adjacent to cropping areas, from November 2003 to July 2004. Population abundance was low during the experiment (0–26 mice per site), and the summer rainfall was below average. We confirmed that mice used the supplementary food and water through a reduction in weight of food containers over time and for water through the presence of Rhodamine B in blood samples and positive bands in whiskers. Abundant food was also available through grain spilt on the ground after harvest of the wheat and barley crops. There was some evidence of increased breeding on sites where water was added, but no effect of food or food and water in combination. Sites where free water was available had marginally higher populations over summer (～2 more mice on average; P = 0.07). This difference was well below any biologically meaningful effect. Mice were 0.9 g heavier on sites where water was added (P = 0.04), and were in better condition (P = 0.03). The addition of high‐quality food did not affect mouse population dynamics, and the addition of water resulted in only marginal responses for some demographic characteristics. We conclude that other factors appear to be important for limiting mouse population growth in summer and autumn.     

Inter- and intraspecific diversity of ontogeny and fecundity patterns in relation to reproductive strategy choice in Myomorpha (Rodentia: Calomyscidae,Cricetidae, Muridae)

Studying the life history of various organisms is essential for ecological and evolutionary inferences. However, publications regarding models of evolutionary shifts to either r- or K-reproductive strategies are scarce. Here, the combined original and previously published data on reproduction and development of Goodwin’s brush-tailed mouse (Calomyscus elburzensis), golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), and house mouse (Mus musculus) were compared. An adult male and female in estrous state (from each species) were coupled with each other for a night and embryos were harvested at embryonic days (E) 10–17 from pregnant females. The mean gestation period in Goodwin’s brush-tailed mouse was 31.5?±?2.1 days; growth was rapid at the first half of this period and after that it was reduced by half. During the postnatal period, growth was rapid up to weaning, but after day 35, the rate of growth decreased abruptly. Growth rate of head and body length was very rapid prior to weaning (PN35) in comparison with weight but the rates of the two characters were inversed following weaning. Totally, weight gain was more dynamic in rate, as compared with head and body length, up to adultness. For golden hamster and house mouse, gestation period was 15.6?±?0.8 and 20.8?±?0.8 days, respectively. Growth was slow during approximately the first half of the gestation period in both species but increased during the second half. During postnatal period in golden hamster, growth rate of head and body length was rapid both before and after weaning as compared with that of weight. However, head and body length showed a stable rate of growth before and after weaning (around PN15), but for body weight, the growth rate was slightly faster after weaning. Similarly, changes in head and body length in house mouse were rapid both before and after weaning (PN16) as compared with that of weight. Since approximately two-fold increases were observed in the growth rates of weight and head and body length in the second stage of postnatal development (PN16-adult) compared with the rates during the first stage (PN0-PN16), both showed dynamic changes during the postnatal development in this species. Typically, r-strategic house mouse appeared to be more similar in early morphological development to comparatively K-strategic Goodwin’s brush-tailed mouse, than to comparatively r-strategic golden hamster. Nevertheless, growth rate and pattern were different in the three species after birth. Hence, results showed that peculiarities of association between an ontogenetic pattern and a tendency in reproductive strategy can differ in diverse groups of myomorph rodents.

     

不同繁育饲养设施对Beagle犬生产性能的影响

目的探索不同繁育饲养设施对Beagle犬主要生产性能的影响。方法使用两种不同Beagle犬繁育饲养设施（设施Ⅰ、设施Ⅱ）对母犬产仔状况、仔犬初生重、60 d离乳犬只存活率、60 d离乳犬只体重、1～6月龄犬只体重月增长等生产性能进行了比较研究。结果两种设施比较母犬产仔状况,仔犬初生重无差异（P〉0.05）;设施Ⅱ比设施Ⅰ的60 d离乳犬只存活率高18.4%,差异极显著（P〈0.01）,60日龄离乳犬只体重平均多（0.62±0.13）kg,差异极显著（P〈0.01）;1～6月龄犬只体重月增长平均多0.29±0.14 kg,差异近显著（P=0.08〉0.05）。结论设施Ⅱ优于设施Ⅰ。     

Effect of male age structure on reproduction in white-tailed deer

Selective harvest regimes that create female-biased sex ratios can potentially lead to delayed breeding, reduced breeding synchrony, reduced productivity, and a female-biased sex ratio of offspring. These resulting changes in breeding behavior and population dynamics have potential to adversely affect population growth. In 2002, Pennsylvania implemented harvest regulation changes that reduced deer density (increased harvest of antlerless deer) and increased the number and age of antlered deer (implemented antler point restriction regulations) that resulted in a less female-biased sex ratio. We monitored date of conception, productivity (embryos/female), and sex ratio of embryos during 1999–2006 to test if timing of breeding occurred earlier and with greater synchrony, if productivity of females increased, and if the sex ratio of offspring would shift towards more males. Deer density decreased 23% and the adult (≥1.5 yr old) sex ratio declined from 2.30 to 1.95 females/male. The ratio of ≥2.5-year-old to 1.5-year-old males shifted towards more older males (1:3.7 in 2002 to 1:1.59 in 2006) and the ≥2.5-year-old male population increased from 41,853 during 1999–2001 to 54,064 by 2006. We found no evidence of any change in the timing or variability of date of conception, productivity, or offspring sex ratio. We conclude that harvest regulation changes implemented in Pennsylvania, USA, were insufficient to affect timing of breeding or population dynamics and that efforts by managers to identify a desired sex ratio or manipulate sex ratios to achieve management goals on a statewide scale will be challenging. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.     

Ecological opportunities and individual condition as predictors of extra‐pair paternity in a south‐temperate swallow (Tachycineta leucorrhoa)

Ecological and physiological factors such as breeding density, breeding synchrony, and adult body condition can all affect extra‐pair mating behavior, but the relative importance of these factors may vary among species. White‐rumped Swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) nesting in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, exhibit high rates of extra‐pair paternity, with 77% of nests having extra‐pair young. Our objective was to determine the extent to which extra‐pair paternity in this species is explained by breeding synchrony, breeding density, and adult body condition. Our study of a population of White‐rumped Swallows breeding in nest boxes was conducted during two consecutive breeding seasons (September – early January 2006–2008). We found that neither breeding synchrony nor density of neighbors predicted levels of extra‐pair paternity in our study population. Leaner females were more likely to engage in extra‐pair behavior and fledged more nestlings, but did not differ in structural size from females that did not engage in extra‐pair behavior, suggesting that female mass is an important predictor of mating decisions and fitness for these aerial insectivores. Male body condition was not related to male extra‐pair behavior. The mass of female White‐rumped Swallows may affect their flying ability such that, during their fertile period, they are exposed to more potential extra‐pair mates during longer foraging flights. Being lighter may also improve the ability of females to provision nestlings later in the breeding cycle.