Acta Carp. Occ. 1: 53-61, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.62317/aco.2010.005

The influence of the altitude on changes of reproduction activity and potential in the bank vole (Myodes glareolus)

Ivan Baláž
Katedra ekológie a environmentalistiky, Fakulta prírodných vied, Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre, Trieda A. Hlinku 1, 949 74 Nitra

The article deals with the influence of altitude on changes of reproduction activity and potential in the bank vole Myodes glareolus (Rodentia: Arvicolidae). The average testes size (length) of males increased from March to June and then slowly decreased (in hilly landscape). Only those males caught in June were used for testing the influence of altitude on testes length. Negative correlation was found between the testes length and altitude; decrease of testes length from lowland to higher mountain zone was 15.7%. The most intensive reproduction activity was recorded in August and gradually declined till December in both sexes. Number of embryos in uterus of Myodes glareolus ranged from one to 13, with an average 4.7 and modus 4. The highest average (5.2) as well as the maximum number of embryos in uterus (13) was recorded in May. The length of reproduction season of females was 10 months (from March to December). The number of embryos in female's uterus varied with altitude. The average value of 4.5 embryos increased to 4.8 in hilly and submountainous zones and then gradual decreased to 4.1 embryos in subalpine zone. The duration of reproduction season of the bank vole decreased as the altitude increased: ten months were observed in lowland and hilly zone and five months in subalpine zone.

Keywords: bank vole, somatic characters, altitude, number of embryos, testes size

Received: March 16, 2010; Accepted: June 3, 2010; Published: June 15, 2010  Show citation

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Baláž, I. (2010). The influence of the altitude on changes of reproduction activity and potential in the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). Acta Carpathica Occidentalis, 1(1), 53-61. doi: 10.62317/aco.2010.005
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