Mouse Ecology Project

This GRDC invested five-year project (2019-2023) aims to increase our understanding of house mouse ecology and biology in zero and no-till cropping systems. Increasing our understanding of mouse behaviour in these systems will inform best practice crop production and mouse management recommendations for grain growers, with the ultimate aim of reducing the economic impact of mice.

Changing farming systems: from conventional tillage to zero- & no-tillage

Over the last 10-20 years farming systems in Australia have changed to become more resilient to a variable climate. There’s been a significant shift from ‘conventional’ farming in the 1980s-1990s to ‘conservation’ farming (2010s & onwards). Conventional farming utilises soil ploughing and tillage to manage weeds and prepare ground for sowing, while in a conservation system zero or very minimal soil tillage occurs. Zero- and no- tillage systems generally produce higher crop yields and improved soil health via less soil disturbance and stubble retention throughout the year.

The shift towards zero- and no-tillage has inadvertently changed house mouse dynamics in grain production systems. Paddock tilling under a conventional system meant mice were unlikely to permanently reside in burrows within crops, instead preferring less disturbed crop margins like fence lines to live year-round. Analysis of historical and recent mouse trapping data collected under both systems has confirmed that with the uptake of conservation agriculture, mice are now permanent residents within crops and stubble throughout the growing season and are less abundant in crop margins than they were under conventional systems (see Ruscoe et al. 2021). This means mouse numbers can persist over the growing season with more residual food after harvest and stubble cover available.

Our Research Questions

We’re investigating how mouse activity, behaviour and population dynamics have changed in zero- and no-tillage cropping systems. Our research activities and techniques are answering the key questions:

Where in paddocks are mice living? Does this change with season or mouse density?

Where in paddocks are mice foraging and spending more time? Does this change with season or mouse density?

Can farmer-implemented harvest and stubble management practices reduce food supply for mice?

We’re also investigating the effect of specific crop management practices on mouse activity, behaviour and populations through targeted field research trials.

For more information about the Mouse Ecology Project contact our Project Leader, Dr Wendy Ruscoe