Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Home range and spatial organization of the beach vole, Microtus breweri

  • Published:
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

A telemetric study was conducted on the beach vole (Microtus breweri), a species endemic to Muskeget Island, Massachusetts, which exhibits one of the most stable population densities of any microtine rodent. Although males maintained consistently higher averages of the areal and linear measurements recorded, there was no significant difference in the size or shape of daily home range averages between male and female beach voles. Females maintained exclusive daily ranges during the breeding season, showing a high degree of intrasexual avoidance. Males exhibited no sign of territorial behavior, overlapping female ranges with apparent indifference to the ranges of other males. Seasonal data indicate shifts in the spatial organization of the beach vole from breeding to nonbreeding season. These findings are similar to those of the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus), the beach vole's mainland progenitor. The daily home ranges of female beach voles are two to three times larger than those of female meadow voles occurring in similar population densities. Three explanations for the difference in range size occurring between similar species exhibiting similar spatial organization are discussed:

  1. 1.

    differences in telemetric methodology used in the studies may cause variations in results,

  2. 2.

    subtle differences in the “socio-spatial” organization of the two species may exist such that female M. breweri ranges are more efficiently packaged into the habitat, and

  3. 3.

    the absolute number of adult females in a given population is lower for beach voles than meadow voles as a result of the beach vole's insular natural history.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen JA (1869) Mammalia of Massachusetts. Bull Mus Comp Zool 1:143–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Amlaner CJ (1980) The design of antennas for use in radio telemetery. In: Amlaner CJ, Macdonald DW (eds) A Handbook On Biotelemetry and Radiotracking pp 251–261

  • Baird SF (1857) Mammals, In Reports of explorations of surveys from the Missippi river to the Pacific ocean. 8:xxi–xlviii + 1–757

  • Banks EM, Brooks RJ, Schnell J (1975) A radiotracking study of home range and activity of the brown lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus). J Mammal 56:888–901

    Google Scholar 

  • Bondrup-Nielsen S (1985) An evaluation of the effects of space use and habitat patterns on dispersal in small mammals. Ann Zool Fennici 22:373–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Bujalska G (1970) Reproduction stabilizing elements in an island population of Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780). Acta Theriologica 25:381–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Bujalska G (1986) Sex ratio in an island population of Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780). Acta Theriologica 31:71–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon KR, Chapman JA (1980) Harmonic mean measure of animal activity areas. Ecology 61:1040–1044

    Google Scholar 

  • Emlen ST, Oring LW (1977) Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197:215–223

    Google Scholar 

  • Fivish B, Parker R, Tamarin RH (1975) Karyotype of the beach vole, Microtus breweri, an endemic island species. J Mamm 56:272–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Gliwicz J (1980) Island populations of rodents: Their organization and functioning. Biol Rev 55:109–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg M, Tabroff NR, Tamarin RH (1980) Nutrient variation in beach grass in relation to beach vole feeding. Ecology 61:1029–1033

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpin ZT, Sullivan TP (1978) Social interactions in island and mainland populations of deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. J Mammal 59:395–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansson L (1977) Spatial dynamics of field voles Microtus agrestis in heterogeneous landscapes. Oikos 29:593–318

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennrich RI, Turner FB (1969) Measurement of non-circular home range. J Theor Biol 22:227–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson RP (1976) Scent marking with urine in two races of bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus. Behaviour 55:81–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Keys JE, Van Soest PJ (1970) Digestibility of forages by the meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus. J Dairy Science 53:1502–1508

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohn PH, Tamarin RH (1978) Selection at electrophoretic loci for reproductive parameters in island and mainland voles. Evolution 32:15–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison D (1977) Movement and habitat use among interacting Peromyscus leucopus as revealed by radiotelemetry. Can Field Nat 91:273–281

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison D (1978a) Behavioral and sociochemical susceptibility of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) to snake predators. Am Mid Nat 100:23–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison D (1978b) Movement indicators of reproductive events among female voles as revealed by radiotelemetry. J Mammal 59:835–843

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison D (1980) Space use and social structure in meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 7:65–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison D (1984) Group nesting and its ecological and evolutionary significance in overwintering microtine rodents. In: Merritt JF (ed) Winter Ecology of Small Mammals pp 267–274

  • Madison D, FitzGerald RW, McShea WJ (1984) Dynamics of social nesting in overwintering meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) possible consequences for population cycling. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 15:9–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison D, FitzGerald RW, McShea WJ (1985) A users guide to the successful radiotracking of small rodents in the field. In: Long FM, Weeks RW (eds) Proc Fifth Intern Conf Wildl Biotelm pp 28–39

  • Madison D, McShea W (1987) Seasonal changes in reproductive tolerance, spacing, and social organization in meadow voles: A microtine model. Am Zool 27:899–908

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazurkiewicz M (1969) Elliptical modification of the home range patterns. Bulletin de l'Academic Polonaise des Sciences 17:427–431

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazurkiewicz M (1970) Analysis of home range directions based on the CMR method. Bulletin de l'Academie Polonaise des Sciences 18:465–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazurkiewicz M (1971) Shape, size, and distribution of home ranges of Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780). Acta Theriologica 16:23–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Merriam CH (1888) Description of a new species of field mouse (Arvicola pallidus) from Dakota. Am Nat 22:702–705

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller GS Jr (1896) The beach mouse of Muskeget Island. Proc Boston Soc Nat Hist 27:75–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Modi WS (1986) Karotypic differentiation among two sibling species pairs of New World microtine rodents. J Mammal 67:159–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Moyer CA (1981) Multivariate analyses of skull and molar measurements and discrete molar character of Microtus breweri and Microtus pennsylvanicus pennsylvanicus. PhD Dissertation Boston University

  • Moyer CA, Adler GH, Tamarin RH (1985) Regressions of skull and molar measurements for estimating body size of Microtus breweri and Microtus pennsylvanicus from southeastern Massachusetts. Am Mid Nat 113:388–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Moyer CA, Adler GH, Tamarin RH (1988) Systematics of New England Microtus with emphasis on M. breweri. J Mammal 169:782–794

    Google Scholar 

  • Munger JC (1984) Home ranges of horned lizards (Phynosoma): circumscribed and exclusive. Oecologia 62:351–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Myllymaki A (1977) Interspecific competition and home range dynamics in the field vole Microtus agrestis. Oikios 29:553–569

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostfeld RS, Pugh SR, Seamon JO, Tamarin RH (1988) Space used and reproductive success in a population of meadow vole. J Animal Ecol 57:385–394

    Google Scholar 

  • Pokki J (1981) Distribution, demography, and dispersal of the field vole, Microtus agrestis (L), in the Tvarminne archipelago, Finland. Acta Zool Fennica 164:1–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich LM, Tamarin RH (1980) Trap use as an indicator of social behavior in mainland and island voles. Acta Theriol 25:295–307

    Google Scholar 

  • Starrett A (1958) Insular variation in mice of the Microtus pennsylvanicus group in southeastern Massachusetts unpublished thesis, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 137 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Stickel LF (1954) A comparison of certain methods of measuring ranges of small mammals. J Mammal 35:1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamarin RH (1977a) Dispersal in island and mainland voles. Ecology 58:1044–1054

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamarin RH (1977b) Demography of the beach vole (Microtus breweri) and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) in southeastern Massachusetts. Ecology 58:1310–1321

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamarin RH (1977c) Reproduction in the island beach vole, Microtus breweri, and the mainland meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus in southeastern Massachusetts. J Mammal 58:536–548

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamarin RH (1978) Dispersal, population regulation, and k-selection in field mice. Am Nat 112:545–555

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamarin RH, Adler GH, Sheridan M, Zwicker K (1987) Similarity of spring population densities of the island beach vole (Microtus breweri), 1972–1986. Can J Zool 65:2039–2041

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamarin RH, Kunz TH (1974) Microtus breweri. Mammalian Species 45:1–3

    Google Scholar 

  • To LP, Tamarin RH (1977) The relation of population density and adrenal gland weight in cycling and noncycling voles (Microtus). Ecology 58:928–934

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster AB, Brooks RJ (1981) Social behavior of Microtus pennsylvanicus in relation to seasonal changes in demography. J Mammal 62:738–751

    Google Scholar 

  • West SD, Dublin HT (1984) Behavioral strategies of small mammals under winter conditions: Solitary or social? In: Merritt JF (ed) Winter Ecology of Small Mammals pp 293–300

  • Wetherbee DK, Coppinger RP, Walsh RE (1972) Time Lapse Ecology, Muskeget Island, Nantucket, Massachusetts. MSS Educational Publishing Co Inc, New York 173 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolff JO (1984) Overwintering behavioral strategies in taiga voles (Microtus xanthognathus). In: Merritt JF (ed) Winter Ecology of Small Mammals pp 315–318

  • Wolff JO (1985) Behavior. In: Tamarin RH (ed) Biology of New World Microtus pp 340–372

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Boston University, 2 Cummington Street, 02215, Boston, Massachusetts, MA, USA

    Ken Zwicker

Authors
  1. Ken Zwicker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zwicker, K. Home range and spatial organization of the beach vole, Microtus breweri . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 25, 161–170 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302915

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302915

Keywords

Search

Navigation