Abstract
Description of the subject. Rodents may be major pests to crops and stored food, thus threatening food security. Among them, invasive species such as rats and mice are of particular concern since they are disseminated globally following international trade. We investigated the small mammal assemblage within the international seaport of Cotonou, Benin, in order to determine the relative importance and distribution of native vs invasive rodent species, as well as to evaluate the amount and associated costs of rodent-induced damages on imported/exported stored goods (here, rice). Objectives. Description of rodent assemblages within an African seaport, and evaluation of the associated damages on stored food stocks. Method. Rodent communities were described following trapping results while associated damages and costs were evaluated following a 25 days long monitoring campaign and subsequent economic estimation of loss. Results. Our results show that invasive mice and rats are, from far, the most impacting rodents in the storage warehouses, and that the associated economic losses are quite large. Moreover, we point towards a few environmental management procedures that may greatly reduce the impact of rodents on stored goods. Conclusions. Damages and costs due to invasive rodents within the Cotonou Harbor are so that they justify financial investment in rodent population control.
Highlights
Some rodent species are highly prolific and show a large ecological plasticity that allows them to colonize a wide range of habitats
Shrews were found in many habitats, as were black rats (R. rattus)
In the four warehouses that were investigated for rodent-induced damages, we found mainly R. norvegicus (85.1% of captures in these four sites) as well as a few house mice (12.8%) and one M. natalensis (2.1%)
Summary
Some rodent species are highly prolific and show a large ecological plasticity that allows them to colonize a wide range of habitats. In the United States, economic losses attributed to rat-induced damages to stored grains may reach 19 million USD each year (Pimentel et al, 2000). Any rodent control policy should rely on an initial quantitative assessment of damages and corresponding costs in order to be accurately calibrated (i.e., control cost should be much lower than damages cost). This is the reason why we got interested in rodent-induced damages on stored food within the Autonomous Harbor of Cotonou (AHC), Benin
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