Nutritional Ecology of Microtine Rodents: Food Habits of Lemmings near Barrow, Alaska

Analyses of stomach contents and feces showed striking differences in the diets of the brown lemming (Lemmus sibiricus) and the collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) near Barrow, Alaska. Brown lemmings ate primarily grasses, sedges, and mosses, whereas collared lemmings ate primarily willow l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 1983-01, Vol.64 (4), p.648-655
Main Authors: Batzli, George O., Pitelka, Frank A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal feeding behavior
Animal nesting
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Dicrostonyx groenlandicus
Diet
Food
Food availability
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitat preferences
Lemmus sibiricus
Polygons
Stomach
Vegetation
Wildlife habitats
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Summary:Analyses of stomach contents and feces showed striking differences in the diets of the brown lemming (Lemmus sibiricus) and the collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) near Barrow, Alaska. Brown lemmings ate primarily grasses, sedges, and mosses, whereas collared lemmings ate primarily willow leaves and forbs. Brown lemming diets changed markedly with season and with habitat. Monocotyledons were always the most important food items; in winter and in drier habitats mosses became a more important component of the diet (up to 40%). Among the monocotyledons, brown lemmings consistently preferred tundra grass (Dupontia fisheri), consistently avoided a sedge (Carex aquatilis), and took a relatively constant amount of cotton-grass sedge (Eriophorum spp.) no matter what its availability. Differing food habits of lemmings in different habitats may have important consequences for their growth, reproductive performance, and population dynamics.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
1545-1542
0022-2372
DOI:10.2307/1380521