How did rodent outbreaks in Germany help to end
World War I? What caused the destructive outbreak of
rodents in Oregon and California in the late 1950s, the
large population outbreak of lemmings in Scandinavia in
2010, and the great abundance of field mice in Scotland
in the spring of 2011? Population fluctuations, or
outbreaks, of rodents constitute one of the classic
problems of animal ecology, and in "Population
Fluctuations in Rodents", Charles J. Krebs sifts through
the last eighty years of research to draw out exactly
what we know about rodent outbreaks and what should be
the agenda for future research. Krebs has synthesized
the research in this area, focusing mainly on the voles
and lemmings of the Northern Hemisphere - his primary
area of expertise - but also referring to the literature
on rats and mice. He covers the patterns of changes in
reproduction and mortality and the mechanisms that cause
these changes - including predation, disease, food
shortage, and social behavior - and discusses how
landscapes can affect population changes, methodically
presenting the hypotheses related to each topic before
determining whether or not the data supports them. He
ends on an expansive note, by turning his gaze outward
and discussing how the research on rodent populations
can apply to other terrestrial mammals. Geared toward
advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and
practicing ecologists interested in rodent population
studies, this book will also appeal to researchers
seeking to manage rodent populations and to understand
outbreaks in both natural and urban settings - or,
conversely, to protect endangered species.
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