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Survival and recruitment of the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis (Smith 1834), in a rice agro-ecosystem

  • Loth S. Mulungu EMAIL logo , Victoria Ngowo , Mashaka E. Mdangi , Abdul S. Katakweba , Protas Tesha , Furaha P. Mrosso , Margaret Mchomvu , Apia W. Massawe , Ara Monadjem , Bukheti Kilonzo and Steven R. Belmain
Published/Copyright: March 6, 2015
Mammalia
From the journal Mammalia Volume 80 Issue 2

Abstract

We investigated the recruitment and survival of the multimammate mouse, Mastomysnatalensis, within irrigated rice and fallow field habitats at different time periods related to rice crop growth stages. Capture-Mark-Recapture data were collected for M. natalensis each month from June 2010 to May 2012, and both recruitment and survival were estimated in relation to land use (irrigated rice or fallow field) within the agro-ecosystem. Higher recruitment and survival were observed in rice fields than in fallow fields suggesting the relationship was compensatory when there was a higher quality food resource. In terms of management, farmers in the study area should implement management strategies in rice fields at both transplanting and maturity stages of crop growth in order to maintain recruitment and survival at low levels.

Keywords: agriculture; pest management; population dynamics; rice cropping; rodent
Corresponding author: Loth S. Mulungu, Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3110, Morogoro, Tanzania, e-mail:

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Funds (ZARDEF) through Eastern Zone. We appreciate the excellent field assistance from Khalid S. Kibwana, Omary Kibwana, Shabani Lutea, Geofrey Sabuni and Ramadhani Kigunguli of Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the leaders and farmers of Hembeti village for their good cooperation during the course of our field data collection.

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Received: 2014-10-13
Accepted: 2015-1-27
Published Online: 2015-3-6
Published in Print: 2016-3-1

©2016 by De Gruyter

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. The wild goat, Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777, of the island of Montecristo (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): does it still exist?
  4. Original Studies
  5. Trophic relationships of sympatric small carnivores in fragmented landscapes of southern Brazil: niche overlap and potential for competition
  6. Dietary adaptation of white-headed langurs in a fragmented limestone habitat
  7. Winter foraging of chinkara (Gazella bennettii shikarii) in Central Iran
  8. Null model analysis on bat species co-occurrence and nestedness patterns in a region of the Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil
  9. Richness and distribution of porcupines (Erethizontidae: Coendou) from Colombia
  10. The level of rodent problems in poultry farms of Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan
  11. Survival and recruitment of the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis (Smith 1834), in a rice agro-ecosystem
  12. New records of Cryptonanus guahybae (Tate, 1931) in southern Brazil inferred from molecular and morphological data
  13. Short Notes
  14. The wild goat of Montecristo Island: did it ever exist?
  15. First record of a bat from the Lakshadweep archipelago, southwestern India
  16. Status of pinnipeds in Southeast Asia
  17. Breeding habits of the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Potohar Plateau, Pakistan
  18. Litter size and basic diet of brown bears (Ursus arctos, Carnivora) in northeastern Turkey
https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2014-0150
Keywords for this article
agriculture; pest management; population dynamics; rice cropping; rodent

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. The wild goat, Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777, of the island of Montecristo (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy): does it still exist?
  4. Original Studies
  5. Trophic relationships of sympatric small carnivores in fragmented landscapes of southern Brazil: niche overlap and potential for competition
  6. Dietary adaptation of white-headed langurs in a fragmented limestone habitat
  7. Winter foraging of chinkara (Gazella bennettii shikarii) in Central Iran
  8. Null model analysis on bat species co-occurrence and nestedness patterns in a region of the Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil
  9. Richness and distribution of porcupines (Erethizontidae: Coendou) from Colombia
  10. The level of rodent problems in poultry farms of Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan
  11. Survival and recruitment of the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis (Smith 1834), in a rice agro-ecosystem
  12. New records of Cryptonanus guahybae (Tate, 1931) in southern Brazil inferred from molecular and morphological data
  13. Short Notes
  14. The wild goat of Montecristo Island: did it ever exist?
  15. First record of a bat from the Lakshadweep archipelago, southwestern India
  16. Status of pinnipeds in Southeast Asia
  17. Breeding habits of the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Potohar Plateau, Pakistan
  18. Litter size and basic diet of brown bears (Ursus arctos, Carnivora) in northeastern Turkey
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