Abstract
Current study was designed to assess habitat utilization of field rats in crop fields and adjacent natural vegetation in District Rawalpindi. The rodents are widely distributed and a serious agricultural pest in Pakistan. Relative abundance of rodent populations changes seasonally under field conditions. The field trials were conducted in district Rawalpindi of the Pothwar area, Pakistan. Wild vegetation plays an important role for providing shelter/cover to the rodent during non-crop season. The dominant wild vegetation recorded from field boundaries were: Cynodon dactylon, Achyranthes aspera, Aerva javanica Saccharum griffithii, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Dichanthium annulatum, Desmostachya bipinnata, Imperata cylindrical, Ziziphus nummularia, Sorghum halepense and Capparis deciduas. This vegetation provides shelter and food to rodents when there is no cultivation or at an early stage of crop growth.
Highlights
Rodents (Mammalia) are important components of virtually all the earth's terrestrial ecosystems: important herbivores that aerate the soil by burrowing activities, and assist plant propagation by consuming and disseminating seeds (Tobin and Fall, 2004)
The wild vegetation was recorded for the burrows of three rodent species; the lesser bandicoot rat (Bandicota bengalensis), the short-tailed mole rat (Nesokia indica) and the Indian gerbil (Tatera indica) during summer season corresponding to different agricultural practices of the area
The shrubs given with Importance Value Index (IVI) comprised of Achyranthes aspera (6.0), Artemisia dubia (16.7), Aerva javanica (11.6), Calotropis procera (14.0) and Cannabis sativa (5.50)
Summary
Rodents (Mammalia) are important components of virtually all the earth's terrestrial ecosystems: important herbivores that aerate the soil by burrowing activities, and assist plant propagation by consuming and disseminating seeds (Tobin and Fall, 2004) Beside this beneficial role, many rodent species come into conflict with human interest due to heavy economic losses, caused by direct damage to cereal crops and fruit orchards (Prakash, 1988). 0.61 m ha of this plateau is under cultivation (Punjab Barani Commission Report, 1976) It has four administrative districts; Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal and Jhelum. Agricultural land from this area is dependent on rainfall. This region contributes about 10% to the total agricultural production of the country (Ashraf et al, 2007). It is an important ecological and agricultural area having same agricultural and weather conditions as the other three districts of the plateau
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