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. Key words: Age, biomass, density, population, rodents
Highlights
Rodents, from mammals, constitute the largest order with more than 2,700 species and account for over 42% of all mammal species (Alpine et al, 2003; Singleton et al, 2003)
M. natalensis comprised more than 32% of the total captures followed by A. dembeensis (23%), and M. erythroleucus (19%)
The least population size was observed in G. murinus (0.2%) followed by Rattus rattus (0.9%) and Mus musculus (1.0%) in the study period
Summary
From mammals, constitute the largest order with more than 2,700 species and account for over 42% of all mammal species (Alpine et al, 2003; Singleton et al, 2003). Out of 2,700 species of rodents, 84 species have been recorded in Ethiopia, and of these 21% are endemic (Bekele, 1996a, b; Yalden et al, 1996). With their prolific nature of breeding, they represent a significant amount of biomass in different ecosystems. Seasonal variation is an important factor regulating populations of rodents. Temperature, energy and nutrition are most important factors in determining reproduction potential, which influences population density of rodents (Magige and Senzota, 2006). Studies indicated that there could be seasonal, inter-annual and multi-annual fluctuations of rodent population structure (Leirs et al, 1996; Meserve et al, 1996)
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