Land use and habitat selection by small mammals in the Tanzanian Greater Serengeti Ecosystem

Shilereyo, Monica T.; Magige, Flora J.; Ogutu, Joseph O.

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01606

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Sherman traps were distributed in a line of 10 traps and spaced 10-m apart, and 10 wire mesh traps were placed in line with the Sherman traps in the 3rd, 6th and 9th trapping grid throughout the trapping grid. Shilereyo et al ( 2021 ) provide further details of the layout of traps on the trapping grid. Trapping was conducted for five consecutive nights in each plot before traps were transferred to the next plot.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectoparasite load of small mammals in the Serengeti Ecosystem: effects of land use, season, host species, age, sex and breeding status

et al. 2022

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Ectoparasite load in small mammals can be influenced by both environmental conditions and host species characteristics. However, the nature of these influences is poorly understood in many ecosystems. We used zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression models with a log link function to assess variation in ectoparasite load among 19 small mammal host species across different land uses (protection in a park, pastoralism and agriculture), habitat types, seasons, age classes, sexes and breeding statuses. We collected 4258 ectoparasites from 612 individual belonging to 19 different species of small mammals. The average ectoparasite load per individual was higher in the pastoral and agricultural lands than in the National Park. Ectoparasite load varied among species and was the highest for the four common and generalist small mammal species (Aethomys sp., Arvicanthis niloticus, Mastomys natalensis, and Gerbilliscus vicinus), most notably in the disturbed pastoral and agricultural lands. It was also higher in the dry than the wet season and for adult males than adult females. These patterns partly reflect the greater mobility of small mammals in the drier conditions; in addition the large body size and home range of males increase the likelihood of encountering parasites. Human disturbance was associated with elevated ectoparasitic load among the small mammals and hence elevated risk of transmission of ectoparasites to humans. As a result, understanding the effect of habitat disturbance on ectoparasite load and its link to zoonotic disease risk should be an important conservation goal and public health priority. Moreover, effective pest control strategies should consider variation in ectoparasite load with land use, habitat type, season and species characteristics.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectoparasite load of small mammals in the Serengeti Ecosystem: effects of land use, season, host species, age, sex and breeding status

et al. 2022

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“…However, a number of studies have shown that a complimentary use of both live traps and pitfall is effective at documenting wide range of taxa of the small mammal species in many sites or habitats (Stanley et al, 1998;Lyra-Jorge and Pivello, 2001;Dizney et al, 2008;Caceres et al, 2011). Therefore, Sherman Traps and Pitfall Plastic buckets were used in this study in order to maximize the capture, as none of the two methods is enough to be used alone, and thus, both methods positively complemented each other as it has been indicated in other small mammal studies (Stanley et al, 1998;Nicolas and Colyn, 2006;Shilereyo et al, 2021). In addition, the effectiveness of Sherman Traps and Pitfall traps have also been widely tested, and the use of these methods in capturing a wide variety of small mammal with different taxa, sizes and weight has become somewhat acceptable (Pizzimenti, 1979;Dickman, 1995;Voss and Emmons, 1996;Goodman et al, 2001;Astúa et al, 2006;Santos-Filho et al, 2006;Umetsu et al, 2006).…”

Section: Small Mammal's Species Composition Trap Success and Richnessmentioning

confidence: 96%

Distribution, diversity and abundance of small mammals in different habitat types in the Usangu area, Southern Tanzania

Munisi¹,

Masenga²,

Mjingo³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv.

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Habitat type and their vegetation composition play important role in determining the abundance and diversity of animals including small mammals, hence any change in habitat type will influence their abundance and spatial distribution. This study aimed at investigating the influence of habitat types (that is, Wetland grassland, Miombo and Vachellia woodlands) on small mammal abundance, diversity, and richness in the Usangu area, in southern part of Ruaha National Park, in Tanzania. Sherman and pitfall plastic bucket traps were employed both for trapping small mammals. A total of 92 small mammals were captured in 2124 trap nights giving 13% trap success representing two families, namely, Muridae (6 species) and Soricidae (1 species). Furthermore, trap success differed among habitat types with the highest being in wetland grassland. Species diversity was higher in Vachellia woodlands compared to other habitat types. It would therefore seem that wetland grassland and Vachellia woodland habitats are very crucial in maintaining small mammal abundance and diversity in Usangu Area. Therefore, future management plan should incorporate these refuge habitats for continued existence of small mammals in Usangu. Further study is warranted in wet season in order to have comparison information that will assist in management of small mammal in Usangu.

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“…Agriculture is the dominant land use activity on the planet and is responsible for altering and endangering wildlife communities on a massive scale (Hurst et al, 2014). It transforms native vegetation into monocultures, thereby decreasing biodiversity by destroying and homogenizing habitats (Shilereyo et al, 2021). Although agricultural activities can provide food to some wildlife species, a leading conservation concern is that agricultural lands alter wildlife communities, favoring generalists at the expense of specialists (Caro, 2001;Byrom et al, 2015;Chidodo et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such understanding should factor in potentially differentiated influences of contrasting land uses and their consequences on small-mammal community characteristics. This is because contrasting land uses, such as grazing and farming activities, can differentially influence small-mammal community characteristics, such as abundance, diversity, and composition (Cao et al, 2016;Magige, 2016;Keesing et al, 2018;Shilereyo et al, 2021) with adverse consequences for ecosystem services, including provisioning and supporting services and buffering diseasecausing pathogens (Ralaizafisoloarivony et al, 2014;Young et al, 2017). For example, some small-mammal species (e.g., Mastomys natalensis and Arvicanthis niloticus) tend to be more common in human-dominated habitats and are potential crop pests and hosts for, or reservoirs of, vectors that transmit zoonotic diseases including the plague (Bergstrom, 2013;Mulungu, 2017, Hieronimo et al, 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-mammal abundance and species diversity: land use and seasonal influences in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania

Shilereyo

Magige

Ogutu

2023

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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Land use, habitat suitability, and seasonality can fundamentally shape small-mammal abundance, species richness, diversity, evenness, and composition. However, how these characteristics of small mammals are determined by land use, habitat type, and rainfall seasonality is still poorly understood for most ecosystems. We analyze how land use (protection in a national park, pastoralism, and crop agriculture), habitat type, and rainfall seasonality influence small-mammal relative abundance, species richness, and diversity in the Tanzania Serengeti Ecosystem. We used 141 live traps to capture 612 small mammals in the wet and dry seasons of 2017 and 2018. Relative abundance was higher in the pastoral land than in the park or agricultural land and in the dry season in all the three land use types. Species richness and diversity were highest in the park, middling in the agricultural land, and lowest in the pastoral land. The high relative abundance in the pastoral land was primarily due to the numerical dominance of two generalist species in the shrubland (grass rat Arvicanthis niloticus) and cropland (multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis), resulting in low species richness and diversity. High species richness and diversity in the park indicate high habitat heterogeneity, whereas high species diversity in the agricultural land during the dry season reflects high food availability during and soon after harvests. Thus, human activities apparently exert deleterious effects on some specialist small mammals as a result of reduced habitat heterogeneity while promoting the abundance of some generalist species in African savanna ecosystems. However, increased abundance of generalist species reduces small mammal species diversity while increasing the risk of human–small mammal conflicts. We offer several testable hypotheses motivated by our results.

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Land use and habitat selection by small mammals in the Tanzanian Greater Serengeti Ecosystem

Cited by 7 publications

References 60 publications

Ectoparasite load of small mammals in the Serengeti Ecosystem: effects of land use, season, host species, age, sex and breeding status

Ectoparasite load of small mammals in the Serengeti Ecosystem: effects of land use, season, host species, age, sex and breeding status

Distribution, diversity and abundance of small mammals in different habitat types in the Usangu area, Southern Tanzania

Small-mammal abundance and species diversity: land use and seasonal influences in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania

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