Abstract
Numerous studies of rodent populations have contributed invaluable information with respect to ecological and environmental, behavioral and physiological interactions on population dynamics. Some of these observations include seasonal changes in breeding (Venables and Venables, 1952; Perry, 1945; Watson, 1950; Harrison, 1951; Davis and Hall, 1948, 1951; Newson, 1963; Kalela, 1962; Mullen, 1964; Beveridge, 1965; Chitty and Phipps, 1966)5 behavioral alterations (Calhoun, 1950, 1952; Chitty, 1957; Southwick, 1964; Sadlier, 1965; Krebs, 1964; Christian and Davis, 1964;Ader, 196?; Christian, 1955; Elton, 1942; Lack, 1954); ecological variations (Davis, 1953; Thompson, 1955; Pitelka, 1957; Lidicker, 1966; Kalela, 1957); adrenocortical function (Bronson, 1967; Louch and Higginbotham, 1967; Dougherty, 1953; Christian and Davis, 1956; Christian, 1963a; Bronson and Eleftheriou, 1963; Andrews, 1968a); and mortality (Calhoun, 1949; Chitty, 1964; Krebs, 1964; Sadlier, 1965; Beck and Rodeheffer, 1965; Chitty and Phipps, 1966; Lidicker, 1966).