Ecology of Small Mammals

1 Life-history strategies.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Evolution and life-history strategies.- 1.2.1 Individual selection.- 1.2.2 Kin selection.- 1.2.3 Group selection.- 1.3 Demographic components of life-history strategies.- 1.3.1 Theoretical considerations.- 1.3.2 Empirical data.- 1.4 Energetic components of life-history strategies.- 1.4.1 The evolution of food habits and food niche breadth.- 1.4.2 The evolution of energy metabolism: homeothermy v. heterothermy.- 1.5 Behavioural components of life-history strategies.- 1.5.1 The evolution of habitat selection.- 1.5.2 The evolution of social organization.- 1.6 Summary.- 1.7 Acknowledgements.- 1.8 References.- 2 Population processes in small mammals.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Distribution.- 2.2.1 'Macrodistribution'.- 2.2.2 'Microdistribution'.- 2.3 Abundance.- 2.3.1 Density.- 2.3.2 'Income and expenditure'.- 3 The stability and instability of small mammal populations.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 The regulation of small mammal populations.- 3.2.1 Theoretical background.- 3.3 Case studies of change in small mammal populations.- 3.3.1 Change in numbers of mice and voles in Wytham Woods over 30 years.- 3.3.2 Regulation of wood mice in Wytham Woods 1948-66.- 3.3.3 The story of the house mouse (Mus musculus).- 3.3.4 Cyclic species.- 3.4 Conclusions.- 3.5 References to Chapters 2 and 3.- 4 Community structure and functional role of small mammals in ecosystems.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Characterization of 'small mammals' as a single state variable.- 4.3 Characterization of 'small mammals' as different state variables.- 4.4 The structure of small mammal faunas.- 4.4.1 Taxonomic composition.- 4.4.2 Species diversity.- 4.4.3 Relative abundance.- 4.4.4 Biomass and density.- 4.4.5 Ecological diversity.- 4.5 Some ecological characteristics of small mammals.- 4.6 Evaluation of transfer functions which link the component 'small mammals' to other system variables.- 4.6.1 Consumption: its direct impact and the functional relationships between vegetation and primary consumers.- 4.6.2 Consumption: its indirect impact and the functional relationships between primary consumers and primary producers.- 4.6.3 Activities other than consumption: their impact and the functional relationships between primary consumers and abiotic state variables.- 4.6.4 Small mammals as secondary consumers: their impact and functional relationships with other consumer state variables.- 4.6.5 Small mammals as prey items: their impact and functional relationships with other consumer state variables.- 4.7 Energy budgets.- 4.7.1 Assimilation and digestion.- 4.7.2 Production.- 4.7.3 Respiration.- 4.7.4 Energy budget models.- 4.7.5 Energy budgets in an ecosystem context.- 4.8 The role of small mammals in ecosystems.- 4.9 References.- 5 Ecological importance of small mammals as reservoirs of disease.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Zoonoses involving small mammals.- 5.2.1 Bacterial zoonoses.- 5.2.2 Rickettsial zoonoses.- 5.2.3 Viral zoonoses.- 5.2.4 Fungal zoonoses.- 5.2.5 Protozoal zoooses.- 5.2.6 Helminth zoonoses.- 5.3 Epidemiology of human diseases involving small mammals.- 5.3.1 Foci of infection.- 5.3.2 Spread of infections from foci.- 5.3.3 Models of the spread of disease.- 5.4 The importance of small mammals as reservoirs of disease.- 5.4.1 Overall assessment.- 5.4.2 Problems of assessing the role of small mammals as reservoirs of disease.- 5.5 The control of diseases with small mammal reservoirs.- 5.6 Conclusions.- 5.7 References.- 6 Importance of small mammals as pests in agriculture and stored products.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Main types of small mammal problems.- 6.2.1 Damage by Microtus arvalis and subsidiary microtines to field crops of temperate regions.- 6.2.2 Major threats to cultivated trees: debarkers, root-cutters and seed depredators.- 6.2.3 Pests emerging from the soil: hamsters, ground squirrels, gerbils, pocket gophers and moles.- 6.2.4 Murid rodents: depredators of cereals and other subsistence crops.- 6.2.5 Rodent damage to tropical cash crops.- 6.2.6 Rodent damage to stored products and structure.- 6.3 Principal means of combating small mammal damage.- 6.3.1 Introduction to control problematics.- 6.3.2 Habitat manipulation and related methods as intentional rodent control measures.- 6.3.3 Exclusion methods and rodent deterrents.- 6.3.4 Reductional control methods.- 6.4 Towards integrated control programmes.- 6.4.1 Introduction.- 6.4.2 Identification of the problem and the pest.- 6.4.3 Determination of the control thresholds.- 6.4.4 Selection of control measures.- 6.4.5 Follow-up of the efficacy of control operations.- 6.4.6 Need for international co-ordination of efforts.- 6.5 References.- 7 Ecology of bats.- 7.1 Habitat.- 7.1.1 Structural and functional requirements.- 7.1.2 Ecological factors: control through ambient influence.- 7.1.3 Foraging strategies.- 7.1.4 Daytime shelters during the active life.- 7.1.5 Hibernation.- 7.2 Diet.- 7.2.1 Food specializations.- 7.2.2 Water intake.- 7.2.3 The position of bats in food chains.- 7.3 Reproduction.- 7.3.1 Sexual cycles.- 7.3.2 Effect of reproduction.- 7.4 Population.- 7.4.1 Population size.- 7.4.2 Population structure.- 7.4.3 Population changes.- 7.5 Community.- 7.6 Relations.- 7.6.1 The role of bats in ecosystems.- 7.6.2 Bats and man.- 7.7 Acknowledgements.- 7.8 References.- 8 Ecology of small marsupials.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.1.1 Distinctive features of marsupial reproduction.- 8.2 Breeding strategies of polytocous marsupials.- 8.2.1 American opossums.- 8.2.2 Australian bandicoots.- 8.3 Semelparity - an unique strategy.- 8.3.1 Life-history of Antechinus species.- 8.3.2 Cause of synchronous death of males.- 8.3.3 Significance of semelparity.- 8.3.4 Response to fire.- 8.4 Contrasting strategies of arboreal leaf eating marsupials.- 8.4.1 Ringtail possum and greater glider.- 8.4.2 Brush possum and bobuck.- 8.4.3 Concept of forest dependent species.- 8.4.4 Response to forestry practices.- 8.5 The ecology of invasion - the brush possum in New Zealand.- 8.5.1 Introduction and establishment.- 8.5.2 Effects on indigenous forest.- 8.5.3 Forest influence on the possum population.- 8.5.4 Possums, cattle and tuberculosis.- 8.4 The ecology of extinction - small marsupials of the inland plains of Australia.- 8.5 Acknowledgements.- 8.6 References.