The Ecology of House Mice (Mus Domesticus) in and Around Irrigated Summer Crops in Western New South Wales.

Abstract

A 28-month live-trapping survey was undertaken to investigate the ecology of house mice in an irrigated summer cropping system in western New South Wales. Five broad habitat types were examined: refuge habitat (e.g. roadside verges), grazed dryland pasture, and the irrigated summer crops soyabeans, sorghum/maize and cotton. Mouse abundance in most habitats peaked around March-April in each year, and then declined to relatively low levels by the end of spring. Mice were always present in refugia but were often at very low numbers or absent from pasture and cotton. Very few mice were caught on paddocks used for summer crops during their fallow stage, but quickly appeared immediately following sowing. Of the summer crops, the maintenance of relatively high numbers of mice was greatest in soyabean crops. Breeding occurred in several habitats throughout much of the year but was generally greatest in October-March. Grazed pasture and cotton had the fewest breeding females and refuge habitat the most. These results are compared with other published studies, and their implications for management strategies are discussed.