Pathogen Infection and Exposure, and Ectoparasites of the Federally Endangered Amargosa Vole (Microtus Californicus Scirpensis), California, Usa

Ott-Conn, Caitlin N.; Clifford, Deana L.; Branston, Tammy; Klinger, R; Foley, Janet E.

doi:10.7589/2013-09-248

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Vole mortality post-release is an important consideration for Amargosa vole translocation actions. Similar to previous studies [12, 50], voles that were captured and recaptured in the present study usually had good body condition without evidence of starvation or disease. Given that radio-telemetry signal times were only live from 1–43 days and the recapture rate was low, we were not able to confirm the survival rate of all voles and our MTA are underestimates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Subpopulation augmentation among habitat patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes

López‐Pérez¹,

Foley²,

Roy³

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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Intensive management may be necessary to protect some highly vulnerable endangered species, particularly those dependent on water availability regimes that might be disrupted by ongoing climate change. The Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis) is an increasingly imperiled rodent constrained to rare wetland habitat in the Mojave Desert. In 2014 and 2016, we trapped and radio-collared 30 voles, 24 were translocated and six remained at donor and recipient marshes as resident control voles. Soft-release was performed followed by remote camera and radio-telemetry monitoring. Although comparative metrics were not statistically significant, the mean maximum known distance moved (MDM) was longer for translocated (82.3 ± 14.6 m) vs. resident-control voles (74.9 ± 17.5 m) and for female (98.4 ± 19.9 m) vs. male (57.8 ± 9.1 m) voles. The mean area occupied (AO) tended to be greater in female (0.15 ± 0.04 ha) vs. male (0.12 ± 0.03 ha) voles, and control voles (0.15 ± 0.05 ha) compared with translocated voles (0.13 ± 0.03 ha). The mean minimum known time alive (MTA) was 38.2 ± 19.4 days for resident-control voles and 47.0 ± 10.6 days for translocated voles. Female survival (55.7 ± 14.3 days) exceeded that of males (31.5 ± 9.4 days) regardless of study group. Activity in bulrush/rushes mix and bulrush vegetation types was strongly and significantly overrepresented compared with salt grass and rushes alone, and habitat selection did not differ between resident and translocated voles. Our results provide ecological and methodological insights for future translocations as part of a strategy of promoting long-term survival of an extremely endangered small mammal in a wild desert environment.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Subpopulation augmentation among habitat patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes

López‐Pérez¹,

Foley²,

Roy³

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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“…All activities were performed in accordance with guidelines or permits from the American Society of Mammologists [ 22 ], US Fish and Wildlife Service Amargosa vole Recovery Permit #TE546414A-2, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientific Collecting Permit #854, and the UC Davis Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Voles were live-trapped as described previously for studies of population status and disease, as well as to create a captive-breeding colony at the University of California, Davis (UCD) [ 12 , 18 , 23 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet composition analysis provides new management insights for a highly specialized endangered small mammal

et al. 2020

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The critically endangered Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis) is found only in rare marsh habitat near Tecopa, California in a plant community dominated by three-square bulrush (Schoenoplectus americanus). Since the earliest research on the Amargosa vole, the existing paradigm has been that these voles are obligatorily dependent on bulrush as their only food source and for the three-dimensional canopy and litter structure it provides for predator avoidance. However, no prior research has confirmed the diet of the Amargosa vole. In this study we characterized the Amargosa vole' nutritional needs, analyzed the quality of bulrush by forage analysis, and performed microhistological and metabarcoding analyses of vole feces to determine what foods were consumed in the wild. All bulrush plant tissues analyzed were low in fat (from 0.9% of dry matter in roots to 3.6% in seeds), high in neutral detergent fiber (from 5.9% in rhizomes to 33.6% in seeds), and low in protein (7.3-8.4%). These findings support the conclusion that bulrush alone is unlikely to support vole survival and reproduction. Fecal microhistology and DNA metabarcoding revealed relatively diverse diets including plants in 14 families, with rushes (Juncaceae), bulrushes (Cyperaceae), and grasses (Poaceae) being the most common diet items. On microhistology, all analyzed samples contained bulrush, sedges (Carex sp.), rushes (Juncus sp.), and beaked spikerush (Eleocharis rostrellata) even from marshes where non-bulrush plants were uncommon. There was evidence of insects at <1% in two marshes but none in the remaining marshes. Metabarcoding detected ten genera of plants. When considering non-Schoenoplectus targets, for which metabarcoding had poor sensitivity, saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) was the most commonly detected species, with prominent contributions from seaside arrowgrass (Triglochin concinna) and yerba mansa (Anemopsis californica) as well. Diversity of vole diets generally increased with increasing site plant diversity, but differences were not statistically significant. Confirming details about dietary behaviors is critical for informing

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Interspecific interactions, human proximity, and season affect spatiotemporal structure of a Mojave Desert wetlands rodent community with a highly endangered species

et al. 2023

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We analyzed the influences of interspecific interactions and environmental factors on rodent community assembly in Mojave Desert wetlands that support the endangered Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis). A total of 4927 rodents in six species were captured from 2010 to 2021 within 15 marshes, most frequently including Amargosa voles, harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis), and house mice (Mus musculus), an invasive species. The structure of the community varied considerably over time and by marsh, driven mainly by reductions in harvest mice and increases in Amargosa voles and house mice between 2014 and 2017, and then reductions in Amargosa voles between 2018 and 2021. Northern marshes were dominated by voles, and southern marshes by house mice. Primary determinants of rodent capture rates were interspecific interactions, human proximity, and season. There was a significant inverse relationship between vole and house mouse captures per session, suggesting competitive exclusion. Distance to the nearest town was positively associated with the numbers of voles and negatively associated with the numbers of harvest mice, suggesting that voles may be more sensitive to human disturbance than other rodents. Amargosa voles and harvest mice had annual population cycles with peaks between July and September occurring 6–7 months after rainfall. Our results allow for valuable insight into the influences on community dynamics in desert rodents and highlight that conservation efforts that support Amargosa voles may simultaneously help control house mouse abundance and expansion.

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Pathogen Infection and Exposure, and Ectoparasites of the Federally Endangered Amargosa Vole (Microtus Californicus Scirpensis), California, Usa

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Subpopulation augmentation among habitat patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes

Subpopulation augmentation among habitat patches as a tool to manage an endangered Mojave Desert wetlands-dependent rodent during anthropogenic restricted water climate regimes

Diet composition analysis provides new management insights for a highly specialized endangered small mammal

Interspecific interactions, human proximity, and season affect spatiotemporal structure of a Mojave Desert wetlands rodent community with a highly endangered species

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