Small mammals of a woodland‐savannah ecosystem in Zimbabwe. II. Community structure

Linzey, Alicia V.; Kesner, Michael H.

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1997.tb05761.x

Cited by 14 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In the high forest zone of southwestern Ghana Jeffrey (1977) found the highest small mammal diversity levels on old farms and around buildings. The small mammal diversity of the woodland±savanna mixture on the Shai Hills slope also seems to be similar to that of the talus habitat (5 species, H ' = 1.38) recently described from the Sengwa Wildlife Research Area in Zimbabwe (Linzey & Kesner, 1997).…”

Section: Distinct Small Mammal Communitiessupporting

confidence: 76%

Diversity and structure of terrestrial small mammal communities in different vegetation types on the Accra Plains of Ghana

Decher

Bahian

1999

Journal of Zoology

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Small mammal communities (shrews and rodents) were studied using mark-and-recapture techniques from November 1991 to June 1992 at six sites on the Accra Plains of Ghana. The sites were two traditionally protected`sacred groves', two plots in the legally protected Shai Hills Resource Reserve, and two ®reprotected sites: secondary forest and a Gmelina tree plantation. A total of 241 individuals representing four species of shrews and nine species of rodents was caught. Abundance, diversity, and composition of small mammals varied greatly between sites. Praomys tullbergi was the most abundant species in the sacred groves, whereas Mastomys erythroleucus dominated in the ®re-protected site and in the plantation. The more open grassland areas in the Shai Hills were dominated by Lemniscomys striatus and Uranomys ruddi. Shrews were caught only in forests having dense leaf litter. Legally protected reserve sites had the highest diversity of small mammals but population densities were low. In contrast, the sacred groves had lower diversity levels but much higher population densities, resulting in 1.9 to 14.6 times the biomass of any of the other sites. The rodents Mus minutoides and Hylomyscus alleni and the shrews Crocidura buettikoferi and C. lamottei were found only in the sacred groves. Sacred groves play an important socio-cultural role. Their local ecological and economic importance as reservoirs for rare and useful plants is well known. This study shows that they are also important refuges for certain small mammal species and support characteristic mammal communities. An attempt to measure the impact of the invading exotic tree Azadirachta indica (neem tree) on small mammals was inconclusive, although trapping success was low in areas with dense stands of neem.

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Section: Distinct Small Mammal Communitiessupporting

confidence: 76%

Diversity and structure of terrestrial small mammal communities in different vegetation types on the Accra Plains of Ghana

Decher

Bahian

1999

Journal of Zoology

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“…Small vertebrate biomass for woodland is also similar, while the figure for termite mounds is almost double that recorded for miombo woodland at Sengwa, Zimbabwe (Linzey & Kesner, 1997b). Mammal diversity indices (H) encountered in the present study are comparable to figures given by Linzey & Kesner (1997b), although the composition of the small mammal communities is vastly different (Linzey & Kesner, 1997a). For example, the scarcity of shrews and pygmy mice Mus minutoides in their study may reflect that no trapping was carried out on termite mounds, nor were pit traps used.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…This difference could be due to an increase in primary productivity associated with greater nutrient availability on termite mounds (Banerjee & Mohan, 1976;Okwakol, 1987;Holt & Coventry, 1990) although the link between productivity and animal diversity is a complex issue (Rosenzweig, 1995). Small vertebrate biomass for woodland is also similar, while the figure for termite mounds is almost double that recorded for miombo woodland at Sengwa, Zimbabwe (Linzey & Kesner, 1997b). Mammal diversity indices (H) encountered in the present study are comparable to figures given by Linzey & Kesner (1997b), although the composition of the small mammal communities is vastly different (Linzey & Kesner, 1997a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miombo woodland termite mounds: resource islands for small vertebrates?

Fleming

Loveridge

2003

Journal of Zoology

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Macrotermes mounds are a significant feature of African woodland landscape, contributing to habitat heterogeneity. The mounds are massive, often many centuries old, and support dense vegetation and a suite of woody plant species scarce in surrounding woodland. The present study tested the hypothesis that Zimbabwean Macrotermes mounds, with their greater niche availability, were more heavily utilized by small vertebrates than the surrounding miombo woodland. We carried out a survey of amphibian, reptile and mammal species during early and late rains for 16 termite mounds and 16 adjacent woodland habitat sites, and compared numbers of individuals, species and diversity. For amphibians and reptiles, individual numbers and species did not differ significantly between habitats and their activity was more influenced by season. For mammals, however, significantly more individuals and species were captured on termite mounds, with three species captured only on mounds (most notably the musk shrew Crocidura hirta spp. complex) and all others showing marked preference for this habitat. The greater number of mammals on termite mounds contributed to total small vertebrate biomass being 800 g/ha for termite mounds compared with 380 g/ha in woodland. For mammals certainly, Macrotermes mounds provide significant food and habitat in miombo woodland.

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“…Some rodent species have been and are still sought for food in many parts of the world (Stoddart, ), and even some are considered very tasty and delicacy, medicinally valued and specially harvested from the wild by some indigenous societies (Habtamu & Bekele, ). Because of their rapid responses to environmental changes, some rodents in specific habitats are viewed as model organisms for the study of ecological processes and serve as good indicators of environmental quality (Linzey & Kesner, ; Alpine et al ., ; Avenant, ). Monitoring of small mammals is becoming the quickest and cheapest method of indicating the ecosystem functioning (Avenant, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species composition, relative abundance and habitat association of small mammals along the altitudinal gradient of Jiren Mountain, Jimma, Ethiopia

Tadesse

Bekele

2012

Afr. J. Ecol.

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To document the species composition, relative abundance and habitat association of small mammals, wet and dry season surveys were conducted along the altitudinal gradient of Jiren Mountain, Jimma area, Ethiopia. Sherman traps were used to capture small mammals from the six habitats: wetland, mixed plantation, open shrub, eucalyptus plantation, montane grassland and coffee plantation. The 393 trap nights, from the six habitat types, yielded 106 individual small mammals of tweleve species. The trapped rodents were Lophuromys flavopunctatus, Stenocephalemys albipes, Desmomys harringtoni, Mus mahomet, Lemniscomys barbarous, L. striatus, Tachyoryctes splendens, Mastomys natalensis and the insectivores Crocidura fumosa and C. turba. Two species of rodents Hystrix cristata and Helioscuirus gambianus were observed. Lophuromys flavopunctatus and S. albipes contributed 83.8% of the total capture. L. flavopunctatus, S. albipes and D. harringtoni were distributed in all habitats and gradients. T. splendens was captured from montane habitat, while the zebra mice were associated with the lower altitude habitats. Lophuromys flavopunctatus and M. natalensis extended their range deep into the coffee plantation habitats. Uncontrolled vegetation exploitation of the mountains for timber production and fire wood collection are the major threats. Conservation of the area to reduce the anthropogenic pressure is essential.

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Small mammals of a woodland‐savannah ecosystem in Zimbabwe. II. Community structure

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Diversity and structure of terrestrial small mammal communities in different vegetation types on the Accra Plains of Ghana

Diversity and structure of terrestrial small mammal communities in different vegetation types on the Accra Plains of Ghana

Miombo woodland termite mounds: resource islands for small vertebrates?

Species composition, relative abundance and habitat association of small mammals along the altitudinal gradient of Jiren Mountain, Jimma, Ethiopia

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