摘要：We estimated the abundance of voles, or vole nests, in four different experiments in the Boreal forest understory in the southwestern Yukon to test if voles were attracted to fertilizer. In one experiment we counted vole nests in plots that had been fertilized or not fertilized for 4 years; in a second we counted trapped voles in plots that has been fertilized, or not, for 13 years; and in two others we counted the number of vole visits to Longworth traps baited with fertilizer. There were significantly more over-winter nests in the fertilized plots. In a June trapping session, more voles were captured in fertilized plots than unfertilized plots and voles entered locked-open traps and removed fertilizer. The results demonstrate a relationship between fertilizer and voles. Whether voles are attracted to the fertilizer alone or the higher quality feed it produces remains unclear. A plausible, yet untested, hypothesis is that the voles were consuming the fertilizer as a source of micro- or macronutrients.
