Seasonal activity and feeding patterns in a population of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gambelii)

Abstract

Daily surface activity and feeding patterns of a northern California population of the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus were studied each month over a 1-year period. Activity of adults was highest during the early hours of darkness regardless of season, whereas that of subadults was more variable. Food consumption by all age-classes increased significantly during spring and summer, with much of the intake delayed until the latter portions of the activity cycle. Increased food intake during the warm months may have resulted from increased metabolic demand associated with a long photoperiod. The late activity feeding peak in spring and summer was interpreted as a behavioral adaptation in preparation for an extended period of inactivity.