Outbreaks of house mice in Australia: limitation by a key resource

Abstract

Plagues of mice are generated in cereal-growing areas when mice can sustain breeding at high levels for much longer than usual. They may do this when, after good early rains, they have access to abundant ripening seeds, followed by large quantities of prematurely germinating seeds in seedheads soaked by further rain just prior to harvest. Both ripening and germinating seeds, unlike mature seeds, contain high levels of soluble amino acids that are necessary for successful breeding. Results from work on birds and other animals support this hypothesis.