Chemical constituents of vole feces as indicators of bark use in sapling plantations

Population density of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and amount of bark removal of conifer and deciduous seedlings were estimated in a young meadow and in an old-field community used as tree plantations. Vole feces were sampled to assess the changes in neutral detergent solubles, total phenolics, total non-structural carbohydrates, and protein from fecal matter. In 1992, voles reached peak densities with similar population characteristics in both meadows. This was followed in the spring 1993 by bark removal on deciduous seedlings in the young meadow and on wild shrubs (not spruce trees) in the old-field community. Chemical components measured in the fall 1992 feces contained significantly more phenolics and carbohydrates than fall samples collected the year after peak density. Fecal matter from voles trapped in the young meadow in the spring of 1993 contained high levels of phenolics and carbohydrates after the winter use of bark tissues. Chemical analyses of fecal matter may be useful in predicting the nutritional status of voles in tree plantations before bark removal, and might be developed as a tool to aid in management of rodent populations.