Sheep grazing causes shift in sex ratio and cohort structure of Brandt's vole: Implication of their adaptation to food shortage.
Integr Zool
; 11(1): 76-84, 2016 Jan.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26331731
ABSTRACT
Livestock grazing has been demonstrated to affect the population abundance of small rodents in grasslands, but the causative mechanism of grazing on demographic parameters, particularly the age structure and sex ratio, is rarely investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of sheep grazing on the cohort structure and sex ratio of Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) in Inner Mongolia of China by using large manipulative experimental enclosures during 2010-2013. Our results indicated that sheep grazing significantly decreased the proportion of the spring-born cohort, but increased the proportion of the summer-born cohort. Grazing increased the proportion of males in both spring and summer cohorts. In addition, we found a negative relation between population density and the proportion of the overwinter cohort. Our results suggest that a shift in the cohort structure and the sex ratio may be an important strategy for small rodents to adapt to changes in food resources resulting from livestock grazing.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ovinos
/
Arvicolinae
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
Límite:
Animals
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Integr Zool
Año:
2016
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China