Fat levels in a subarctic population of Peromyscus maniculatus
- 1 July 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Canadian Journal of Zoology
- Vol. 58 (7) , 1341-1346
- https://doi.org/10.1139/z80-186
Abstract
Fat content (FAT), lean dry weight (LDW) and caloric content (KCAL) were examined in a natural subarctic population of P. maniculatus. FAT was not significantly correlated with size (LDW) of the animal. FAT of adult males was negatively correlated with minimum ambient temperatures and was not correlated with reproductive condition. LDW of adult males did not vary in relation to season. FAT of prebreeding adult females was high and decreased in response to breeding, but LDW increased in response to breeding so that KCAL remained constant. KCAL was low in adult females only after the breeding season. Mice dying in live traps had significantly lower FAT than did any other group of adults indicating that wild mice do not normally deplete their fat reserves. KCAL of postweaning young increased with age due to an increase in LDW but not in FAT. Fat levels may be intrinsically controlled in wild Peromyscus according to the probability of having to make extraordinary energy expenditures and are not simply subject to extrinsic controls through the balance of food availability and energy demands.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Effects of a spring snowstorm on behavior, reproduction, and survival of Belding's ground squirrelsCanadian Journal of Zoology, 1978