A note on the microdistribution of the Red-Backed Vole, Clethrionomys gapperi, in the E.N. Huyck Preserve, New York

Abstract

In a trapping study of small mammals on the E.N. Huyck Preserve (Rensselaerville, New York) it was found that Chlethrionomys gapperi was captured only in the immediate vicinity of abandoned stone fences. Peromyscus leucopus were common throughout the study area. Captrues of P. leucopus did not seem related to the presence or absence of abandoned stone fences. Thus, interspecific interactions seem unlikely to restrict C. gapperi to the areas near abandoned stone fences. The latter may provide essential nesting habitat or protection from predators for Red-backed Voles.