Population structure of rodents in Alage, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

An ecological study on population structure of rodents was conducted in Alage, Southern Ethiopia. Sherman live traps were used to capture rodents in four habitats and trapping sessions. A total of 684 rodents that represented 11 species were captured. Regarding population size and density, Mastomys natalensis was the dominant species followed by Arvicanthis dembeensis while the least was observed in Graphiurus murinus in the study period. The highest biomass was recorded in A. dembeensis (6771.43 g/ha) followed by M. natalensis (6246.63 g/ha) and M. erythroleucus (3257.14 g/ha) while the least was recorded for G. murinus (10.2 g/ha) followed by Mus musculus (35.36 g/ha).The largest and lowest biomasses per habitat type were recorded for M. natalensis and M. musculus, respectively from bushland. There was variation in the population size, density and biomass among trapping sessions and habitats with the highest estimate in the second trapping session and bushland habitat type. All age groups were represented in the population with seasonal and age group variation. In conclusion, there was variation in population size, density and biomass of rodents among habitats and seasons. These population fluctuations might be mostly due to variation in rainfall, habitat heterogeneity, vegetation cover, reproductive patterns, quality and quantity of food and water.

Demography and reproductive seasonality of small terrestrial mammals in two forest ecosystems in Ghana

“…This can be explained by the fact that the open forest in BFR were mostly either swampy or waterlogged in the wet season, both of which are unsuitable for small mammals. This finding is contrary to the study by Addisu and Bekele (2015) which indicated that habitat‐associated density of rodents was lower in farmlands. However, this finding agrees with studies of Vordzogbe et al (2005) and Nyirenda et al (2020) who reported higher abundance of small mammals in farmlands.…”