Dietary differences of the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834), across different habitats and seasons in Tanzania and Swaziland

Abstract

Context The multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834), is an important agricultural pest in southern and eastern Africa where it can cause significant crop losses. Mastomys natalensis is known to consume a variety of food in response to the availability of food items. However, it is currently unknown whether maize crop growth stages affect the spatio-temporal diet of this species. Aims We examined the foods consumed by M. natalensis in different habitats and seasons in central Tanzania and Swaziland. Methods Diet was investigated in Tanzania in four different habitats (woodland, vegetable gardens, maize fields and fallow land) during different maize crop growth stages between March 2008 and February 2009. In Swaziland, this was conducted in three habitats (fallow land, cultivated fields and pristine land) during three crop growth stages (pre-planting, vegetative stage and post-harvest) between March 2008 and April 2009. Micro-histological examination of undigested fragments from the stomachs of trapped animals was made whereby the preserved stomach content was placed in a Petri dish and sorted using a 25× or 50× magnification binocular stereoscope. Stomach contents were identified as: grain and/or seeds (both grasses and maize), plant material (roots, stems and leaves), invertebrates, pods of seeds, fruits (vegetable fruit such as tomato), animal hairs and unidentified matter. If necessary, a lugol solution was used to determine the presence of starch for maize and grass seeds or grains. Key results In both countries, grain predominated in the diet of M. natalensis. Statistical analyses showed that there were no differences due to seasons or habitats. Therefore, the percentage volume and relative importance were the same across habitats and seasons in both countries. Conclusions Our findings highlight clearly that M. natalensis is a generalist species feeding on available resources depending on the season and the habitat. Its preference for grain may account for its abundance in maize plantations and confirms it as one of the major pests in crop plantations, especially grain. Implications This information offers a useful tool for determining the pest status in different habitats and/or seasons. The findings of this study have implications for agriculture and conservation.

Contribution of land use to rodent flea load distribution in the plague endemic area of Lushoto District, Tanzania

“…On the other hand, the negative correlation depicted by miraba and maize land use types on flea index during the wet season could be a result of the effect of intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides leading to decreased populations of fleas (Hubbart et al, 2011). This situation may have a cleansing effect on the rodents which despite their numbers due to favourable conditions in terms of shelter (Msita et al, 2011) and food (Mulungu et al, 2011) are devoid of fleas, hence lowering the flea index. These findings highlight on the need for further research on the role of fertilizer and pesticides in plague control during the wet season.…”

“…For example in the current study, fallow land use type generated the highest mean flea index during both dry and wet seasons. This might be attributed to fallow structure providing conducive microclimate for fleas (Laudisoit et al, 2009a) on one hand and supply of both food and shelter for rodents on the other (Laudisoit et al, 2009b;Mulungu et al, 2011). Fallow fields have also been associated with plague cases in Uganda (Eisen et al, 2010;MacMillan et al, 2011).…”

Vegetation habitats and small mammals in a plague endemic area in Western Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

“…2005;Elmhagen & Rushton, 2007;Oosthuizen & Bennett, 2009;Bateman et al, 2010). Small mammal species considered individually, however, clearly exhibit habitat preference (Hackley et al, 2010;Mulungu et al, 2012).…”

“…In such habitats, the transfer of disease from one animal to another may take place (Anderson & Wait, 2008). Therefore, finetuned studies on vegetation are an essential part of the efforts to explain and predict zoonotic diseases (Eisen et al, 2007), and for the development of pest management strategies (Mulungu et al, 2012).…”

Rodent biology and management – who is outsmarting whom?

“…Avenant 2011), behavioural and physiological studies (e.g. Mulungu et al 2011) to do. Food security in developing and developed countries will remain a major challenge, and will become even more severe with increasing human populations, continued human modification to landscapes, and changes in climate patterns.…”