Water Physiology and Nutrition in Fluctuating Populations of Rattus-Colletti in Monsoonal Northern-Territory, Australia

Abstract

During wet and dry seasons and transitions of the monsoonal cycle, rates of water turnover and nutritional variables were measured on a population of Rattus colletti which fluctuated between extremes of high and low abundance. Rate of water turnover (RWT in millilitres per day) and body weight ( W, in kilograms) were related allometrically: RWT = aW*O.742 ± 0.061, where a varied between seasons and sexes. Seasonal rates of water turnover were consistent with physiological adaptation in R. colletti to seasonal aridity. Rate of water turnover correlated with seasonal hydric regime, varying by a factor of 3.5 between dry and wet seasons. During the wet season, low body weight and lack of breeding seemed to be caused by flooding and its physical and social consequences. During dry season aridity the rats were short of food and water, but not in a dry season when rain fell and breeding ensued. Reproduction increased requirements for food and water in both sexes. Juveniles had relatively high requirements, and shortages appeared to retard growth. Very large populations resulted from prolific breeding after dry season rain had sustained high consumption of food and water on the riverine plains, the dry season habitat. Population decline resulted from very high wet season rainfall followed by a rainless dry season when food and water intakes were depressed, probably because the previous rainfall pattern reduced the availability of sedge corms, the dry season source of food and water. This climatic pattern recurred in the next wet and dry seasons, reinforcing the effects on R, colletti, which became rare for several years on both riverine systems studied.