Population Ecology of the Golden Mouse

An understanding of the population dynamics of a species requires knowledge of the major life-history parameters of a population, including age at maturity, distribution of age classes, and lifetime reproductive contribution of the sexes, sex ratio, length of the breeding season, mean litter size, rates of growth and survival, and life span. Because few long-term studies have been conducted with Ochrotomys nuttalli as the focal species of investigation, only fragmentary information is available for many population parameters. As importantly, densities of golden mice often are low, making them difficult to evaluate statistically. Little has been published on age at maturity for golden mice, lifetime reproductive success, or the distribution of age classes in nature. Nevertheless, even early studies provide some useful information focusing on the natural history of this species (e.g., Linzey 1968, McCarley 1958). In this chapter, I summarize studies in which information on one or more parameter(s) is presented, standardize the results as much as possible, and attempt to uncover patterns for populations in one region (e.g., Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee) to compare with populations from another region (e.g., Florida, Georgia, Texas).