Kaboodvandpour Shahram, Free Carissa, Leung Luke K-P
Department of Environment Sciences, Kurdistan University, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran.
Integr Zool. 2010 Mar;5(1):53-62. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2010.00189.x.
House mice (Mus musculus domesticus Schwarz & Schwarz, 1943) are monitored in Australia and China to track changes in mouse population densities and forecast their potential damage to cereal crops. The present study compared population indices based on the number of different mice caught and overall trap success from live-trapping with an oil card index (OC) and a tracking index (T) for monitoring mice in sorghum crops immediately before crop maturation. T was measured as the percentage of track board covered with mouse footprints night(-1), and OC as the percentage of card removed by mice night(-1). The reliability of these abundance indices was quantified by Pearson correlation coefficient with the trappable population size (Ñ), which was estimated by capture-recapture over eight consecutive nights on 175 × 5 trapping grids, in sorghum crops on two properties on the Darling Downs, Queensland. Because of differences among individual mice in capture probability, Model M(h) of program MARK was used to account for such heterogeneity and to estimate the size of each mouse population. The number of individual animals caught was more strongly correlated with Ñ than trap success and, therefore, might be a more reliable index; the data suggest that three trapping occasions provide optimal precision for this index. T correlated significantly with Ñ only at sites where the canopy of sorghum plants was closed, and its use should, therefore, be restricted to this habitat. OC did not correlate with Ñ because none or very little of the cards was eaten at low to moderate mouse densities. T and the number of animals caught over three trapping nights are recommended for monitoring mice in sorghum crops immediately prior to crop maturation.
家鼠（小家鼠指名亚种施瓦茨和施瓦茨，1943年）在澳大利亚和中国受到监测，以追踪鼠类种群密度的变化，并预测它们对谷类作物可能造成的损害。本研究比较了基于捕获的不同小鼠数量和活体诱捕的总体诱捕成功率得出的种群指数，与用于在高粱作物即将成熟前监测小鼠的油卡指数（OC）和追踪指数（T）。T的测量方法是夜间（-1）足迹板被小鼠脚印覆盖的百分比，OC是夜间（-1）被小鼠啃咬的卡片的百分比。这些丰度指数的可靠性通过与可捕获种群大小（Ñ）的皮尔逊相关系数进行量化，Ñ是通过在昆士兰州达令唐斯的两个农场的高粱作物中，在175×5的诱捕网格上连续八个晚上进行标记重捕估计得出的。由于个体小鼠在捕获概率上存在差异，使用程序MARK的M(h)模型来考虑这种异质性，并估计每个小鼠种群的大小。捕获的个体动物数量与Ñ的相关性比诱捕成功率更强，因此可能是一个更可靠的指数；数据表明，三次诱捕时机为该指数提供了最佳精度。仅在高粱植株冠层封闭的地点，T与Ñ显著相关，因此其应用应仅限于该栖息地。OC与Ñ不相关，因为在低到中等小鼠密度下，没有或只有很少的卡片被吃掉。建议在高粱作物即将成熟前，使用T和三个诱捕夜晚捕获的动物数量来监测小鼠。
