An ecological study of small rodents in the woodland savanna of Liwonde National Park, Malawi

Happold, David; Happold, Meredith

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1990.tb03993.x

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…2). Gerbilliscus leucogaster populations utilized grassland habitat more than tree islands, but results generally accord with other studies, which, taken together, have documented a wide habitat tolerance for this species (Sheppe & Haas, 1981;Happold & Happold, 1990;Linzey & Kesner, 1997;Monadjem, 1997). Populations of M. indutus, a less studied species, utilized grassland habitat more in the dry season but both habitats in the rainy season.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Seasonal dynamics of macrohabitat use by small mammals in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: implications for landscape‐level disturbance resilience

Plavsic

2014

Afr. J. Ecol.

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In a changing climate, it is imperative to understand potential ecosystem resilience at all taxonomic levels. I compare seasonal small mammal utilization of woodlands (tree islands) and grasslands in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, to elucidate macrohabitat relationships and to test whether the two macrohabitats are similar in their ability to serve as a source of colonizers for the other after disturbance. Capture-mark-recapture data revealed that abundances for Dendromus mesomelas and Gerbilliscus leucogaster were higher in grasslands than tree islands, while Mus indutus abundance appeared higher in the grasslands in the dry season but roughly equal in the rainy season. Mastomys spp. and Steatomys pratensis maintained low levels in the grassland habitat throughout the year and experienced a population peak in the tree island habitat during the rainy season. There were no significant differences in sex ratio, mean mass or breeding condition. Dominance and total biomass were higher in the grasslands with the trend more pronounced in the rainy season. Terrestrial small mammals in the Okavango Delta employ differing strategies in macrohabitat selection and some exploit tree islands when herbaceous cover is present. Metacommunity dynamics exist for some species, and both habitats can serve as a source of colonizers under certain conditions. R esum eFace a un climat en evolution, il est imp eratif de bien comprendre la r esilience potentielle des ecosyst emes a tous les niveaux taxonomiques. Je compare la fr equentation saisonni ere des forêts (îles bois ees) et de la savane par des petits mammif eres dans le delta de l'Okavango, au Botswana, pour clarifier les relations entre les macrohabitats et pour v erifier si les deux macro-habitats sont comparables en tant que sources potentielles r eciproques d'esp eces colonisatrices apr es perturbation. Les donn ees r ecolt ees par capture-marquage-recapture ont r ev el e que Dendromus mesomelas et Gerbilliscus leucogaster etaient plus abondants dans la savane que dans lesîles bois ees alors que Mus indutus semblait plus abondant dans la savane en saison s eche mais a peu pr es aussi abondant en saison des pluies. Mastomys spp. et Steatomys pratensis maintenaient des taux bas dans l'habitat de la savane toute l'ann ee et pr esentaient un pic de population dans l'habitat de l'île bois ee pendant la saison des pluies. Il n'y avait pas de diff erence significative du sex-ratio, du poids moyen ou de l' etat de reproduction. La dominance et la biomasse totale etaient plus elev ees dans la savane, avec une tendance plus prononc ee en saison des pluies. Les petits mammif eres terrestres du delta de l'Okavango utilisent diverses strat egies dans le choix du macrohabitat et certains exploitent lesîles boisees lorsqu'elles pr esentent une couverture herbeuse. Il existe une dynamique m etacommunautaire pour certaines esp eces, et les deux habitats peuvent servir de sources d'esp eces colonisatrices dans certaines conditions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Seasonal dynamics of macrohabitat use by small mammals in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: implications for landscape‐level disturbance resilience

Plavsic

2014

Afr. J. Ecol.

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“…The procedures for live-trapping, recording temperatures, and measuring and analysing characteristics of the grassland vegetation were the same as in the previous studies (see Happold & Happold, 1989), and only brief notes are given here. The grid and each line (except when flooded) were trapped for 3 days each month from September 1984 to June 1985 (excluding May) (G5: 144 trapnights/month; lines: 150 trapnights/month [except when flooded]; 2841 trapnights for whole study).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…all) of the adults had disappeared, and the population was composed solely of juveniles and subadults born mostly at the end of the wet season. It is assumed that these individuals remained as subadults (16-20 g) throughout the dry season, and did not attain adult weight until the beginning of the next wet season (see Hanney, 1965;Happold & Happold, 1990).…”

Section: Mastomys Natalensis Acomys Spinosissimus Saccostomus Campestmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lengwe NP was one of three study areas in Malawi used to investigate how environmental characteristics related to altitude determine the species composition and biology of small mammals. The other areas were Zomba Plateau (1900 m, Happold & Happold, 1989) and Liwonde NP (c. 500 m, Happold & Happold, 1990). This paper describes the community of small mammals living in thicket-clump and woodland savanna, and discusses their biological characteristics in relation to seasonal changes in the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An ecological study of small rodents in the thicket‐clump savanna of Lengwe National Park, Malawi

Happold

1991

Journal of Zoology

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A community of small rodents was studied in thicket‐clump and grassland savanna of Lengwe National Park, Malawi, from September 1984 to June 1985. Nine species were recorded on a 1·1 ha grid and five assessment lines, using a capture‐mark‐release technique. The three commonest species (and their percentage proportions) were Mastomys natalensis (47%), Acomys spinosissimus (24%) and Saccostomus campestris (11%). Population numbers on the grid fluctuated from–30 individuals/ha, and the numbers on the assessment lines fluctuated from–57 individuals. There were two peaks of population numbers during the year: the first was in the early wet season (when individuals emigrated from dry season refugia and there was limited reproduction) and the second was in the mid dry season (when young born at the end of the wet season entered the trappable population). The population was comprised mainly of subadults in the late dry season, adults and some young in the wet season, and young and subadults in the early and mid dry seasons. Population survival rates were low with only 30–50% of individuals surviving to the following month. The magnitude of population fluctuations are related to the strong seasonality of climate, flooding and grass characteristics; in this respect, the community of small mammals in Lengwe National Park shows similarities to those of the Kafue Valley in Zambia and the Chobe Valley in Botswana.

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“…Therefore, higher mobility might increase the exposure to parasites as well as chances of exchanging parasites between different individuals both conspecific and heterospecific. In addition, many rodents in tropical Africa start their reproduction during the rainy season (Happold & Happold 1990), so that their peaks of abundance are mainly observed at the onset of the dry season. As a result, the proportion of dispersing individuals in this period is large (e.g.…”

Section: General Patterns Of Host and Flea Abundance And Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal and habitat dependence of fleas parasitic on small mammals in Tanzania

Laudisoit

Leirs

Makundi

et al. 2009

Integrative Zoology

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We investigated host and flea species composition across different habitats during dry and rainy seasons in the Western Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. During both seasons, similarity in flea species composition increased with an increase in the similarity in host species composition. Nevertheless, between-season within-habitat as well as within-season between-habitat similarity in host species composition was higher than similarity in flea species composition. Ordination of habitats according to their host and flea species composition demonstrated that the pattern of between-habitat similarity in both host and flea species composition varied seasonally. Despite the relatively rich mammal and flea fauna of the study region, the major contribution to variation in species composition between seasons and among habitats was due to a few species only. Flea assemblages on Lophuromys kilonzoi Verheyen et al., 2007 and Praomys delectorum Thomas, 1910 in different habitats were equally similar in either season. In contrast, flea assemblages on Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834) occurring in different habitats were more similar in the dry than in the rainy season, whereas the opposite was the case for fleas on Grammomys sp. In different hosts, the main differences in species composition of flea assemblages between seasons as well as among habitats were due to different flea species. Although our results support the earlier idea that parasite species composition is determined by both host species composition and habitat properties, the former appears to explain variance in flea species composition between localities in the tropics better than between localities in temperate and arid zones.

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An ecological study of small rodents in the woodland savanna of Liwonde National Park, Malawi

Cited by 19 publications

References 10 publications

Seasonal dynamics of macrohabitat use by small mammals in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: implications for landscape‐level disturbance resilience

Seasonal dynamics of macrohabitat use by small mammals in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: implications for landscape‐level disturbance resilience

An ecological study of small rodents in the thicket‐clump savanna of Lengwe National Park, Malawi

Seasonal and habitat dependence of fleas parasitic on small mammals in Tanzania

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