Population Dynamics and Movements of Rattus villosissimus (Waite) during the 1966-69 Plague at Brunette Downs, N.T

Abstract

A population of R. villosissimus was studied during a plague at Brunette Downs cattle station, N.T. Samples, each of 150 rats, were trapped in December 1967, March, June and November 1968 and April 1969, and the population on a grid was estimated by mark-recapture methods. The rats bred from December 1967 until April 1968 and again in April 1969. The population fluctuated widely during the study; partly because of breeding and partly because of movements of animals through the area. Data from a breeding colony in the laboratory were used to interpret field observations on intrauterine and juvenile mortality.