Ecke, Frauke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Review article2021Peer reviewedOpen access
Population cycles and outbreaks of small rodents: ten essential questions we still need to solve
Andreassen, Harry P.; Sundell, Janne; Ecke, Fraucke; Halle, Stefan; Haapakoski, Marko; Henttonen, Heikki; Huitu, Otso; Jacob, Jens; Johnsen, Kaja; Koskela, Esa; Luque-Larena, Juan Jose; Lecomte, Nicolas; Leirs, Herwig; Marien, Joachim; Neby, Magne; Ratti, Osmo; Sievert, Thorbjorn; Singleton, Grant R.; van Cann, Joannes; Vanden Broecke, Bram; Ylonen, Hannu
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Abstract
Most small rodent populations in the world have fascinating population dynamics. In the northern hemisphere, voles and lemmings tend to show population cycles with regular fluctuations in numbers. In the southern hemisphere, small rodents tend to have large amplitude outbreaks with less regular intervals. In the light of vast research and debate over almost a century, we here discuss the driving forces of these different rodent population dynamics. We highlight ten questions directly related to the various characteristics of relevant populations and ecosystems that still need to be answered. This overview is not intended as a complete list of questions but rather focuses on the most important issues that are essential for understanding the generality of small rodent population dynamics.
Keywords
Density dependence; Phase dependence; Voles; Mice; Lemmings
Published in
Oecologia
2021, Volume: 195, number: 3, pages: 601-622 Publisher: SPRINGER
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Publication identifier
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04810-w
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/110273