Timing of hibernation and reproduction in the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus)
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Conservation Biology, Ecology, Zoology
- Keywords
- life cycle, New Mexico meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius luteus, hibernation, activity season, reproduction, endangerd species, geographic variation, elevation
- Copyright
- © 2015 Frey
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ PrePrints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2015. Timing of hibernation and reproduction in the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus) PeerJ PrePrints 3:e1046v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.1046v1
Abstract
Hibernation is a key life history feature that can impact many other crucial aspects of a species’ biology, such as its survival and reproduction. I examined the timing of hibernation and reproduction in the federally endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus), which occurs across a broad range of latitudes and elevations in the American Southwest. Data from museum specimens and field studies supported predictions for later emergence and shorter active intervals in montane populations relative to low-elevation populations. A low-elevation population located at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) in the Rio Grande valley was most similar to other populations of Z. hudsonius: the first emergence date was in mid-May and there was an active interval of 162 days. In montane populations of Z. h. luteus, the date of first emergence was delayed until mid-June and the active interval was reduced to ca 130 days, similar to some populations of the western jumping mouse (Z. princeps). Last date of immergence into hibernation occurred at about the same time in all populations (mid to late October). Evidence suggests that females may have a single litter per year in montane populations. At BANWR two peaks in reproduction were expected based on similarity of active season to Z. h. preblei, but the population exhibited little detectable above-ground activity in August, which could stem from a failure of the population to produce early litters. Recommendations are made with respect to appropriate timing of surveys for Z. h. luteus.
Author Comment
This is a submission to PeerJ for review.
Supplemental Information
Table of reproductive data during field study at BANWR
Reproductive data for female New Mexico meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius luteus) that were field-evaluated to be pregnant at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro County, New Mexico, 2009-2010 (Wright 2012, Frey and Wright 2012).