Distribution and ecology of lesser pouched rat, Beamys hindei, in Tanzanian coastal forests

Abstract

The lesser pouched rat, Beamys hindei, is a small rodent that is patchily distributed in the Eastern Arc Mountains and coastal forests in East Africa. The ecology of this species and its current distribution in coastal forests is not well known. Therefore, we conducted a study in selected coastal forests to assess the current distribution of the species and to investigate the population ecology in terms of abundance fluctuations and demographic patterns. Assessments of the species distribution were conducted in 5 forests through trapping with Sherman live traps. Data on ecology were obtained from monthly capture-mark-recapture studies conducted for 5 consecutive nights per month in two 1 ha grids set in Zaraninge Forest over a 2-year period. The results indicate the presence of B. hindei in 3 forests where it was not previously recorded. The population abundance estimates ranged from 1 to 40 animals per month, with high numbers recorded during rainy seasons. Reproduction patterns and sex ratios did not differ between months. Survival estimates were not influenced by season, and recruitment was low, with growth rate estimates of 1 animal per month. These estimates suggest a stable population of B. hindei in Zaraninge Forest. Further studies are recommended to establish the home range, diet and burrowing behavior of the species in coastal forests in East Africa.

Genetic structure and diversity of the black and rufous sengi in Tanzanian coastal forests

“…Rhynchocyon petersi samples from Kwamsisi, Gendagenda and Askari were also genotyped at nine microsatellite loci as described in Sabuni et al . (). Samples from Zaraninge were already genotyped (see Sabuni et al ., ).…”

“…(). Samples from Zaraninge were already genotyped (see Sabuni et al ., ). Alleles were visualized and scored using GeneMapper 3.7 (Applied Biosystems, Gent, Belgium).…”

Effects of prescribed burning on rodents in an East African woodland ecosystem

“…Identification of captured species followed available distribution maps as provided by Kingdon (1974, 2015) to genus level in the field and species confirmation was based on molecular technique (Cytochrome b ) in the molecular genetic laboratory of the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences (Studenec, Czech Republic). The sequencing followed the genotyping protocol described by Bryja et al (2014) and was further compared to all published and unpublished data such as Sabuni et al (2015), Sabuni et al (2018), Aghová et al (2019), Krásová et al (2019) Nicolas et al (2020) and Voelker et al (2021). Sex, reproductive condition and weight (to the nearest gram) were recorded.…”

“…Knowledge on animal species' habitat requirements is important towards managing and conserving them (Kneib et al, 2007). According to Feilhauer et al (2011) and Sabuni et al (2015), the environmental limiting factors (water, temperature, nutrients, food and moisture) that shape the physiology are important determinants of species distribution. However, the overall driving factors for species distribution are not yet clearly known in the ecological world (Araujo & Guisan, 2006).…”

Current and Potential Future Distribution of Small Mammals in the Selous Ecosystem, Tanzania

“…Considering small mammal roles in ecosystems, these impacts might have a serious effect on the functioning of ecosystems in the future (Shenko et al, 2012). Species distribution is controlled by various factors, including light, water, temperature, food and disturbances (Guisan & Thuiller, 2005; Feilhauer et al, 2012; Sabuni et al , 2015). This means changing any of these parameters in particular temperature and rainfall might have a significant effect on small mammal distribution.…”