Demographic parameters of Akodon montensis (Mammalia: Rodentia) in an Atlantic Forest remnant of Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Small mammals seem to be affected by edge effects, hence understanding the local dynamics of these populations is important to assess the risks to which they are exposed. The objective of this study was to compare population size, sex ratio and home range size of the rodent Akodon montensis (Cricetidae) between the edge and interior of an Atlantic Forest fragment in the dry (June-August) and rainy (December-February) seasons. The population was sampled using capture-mark-recapture methods and a spool-and-line device was used to map the movements. The population size was significantly higher in the rainy season relative to the dry season, and this pattern can be related to the higher food availability in this period, as observed in other studies. However, there was no difference in the number of individuals captured in the edge and interior. The home range size showed no significant differences between edge and interior and between males and females, although, in a general way, the females showed a greater home range size related to the males. The absence of differences between edge and interior could result from the small size of the remnants and extrapolation of edge conditions to the interior.

Investigation of Bartonella spp. in brazilian mammals with emphasis on rodents and bats from the Atlantic Forest

“…This genus is widely distributed in eastern Brazil, where A. cursor and A. montensis occur in sympatry in some areas of the Atlantic Forest biome ( Bonvicino et al, 2008 ). These rodents are common in anthropogenic environments, farmland, residential landscapes, and the edge of forest fragments ( Bonecker et al, 2009 ; Feliciano et al, 2002 ; Geise, 2012 ; Jordão et al, 2010 ), and may thus act as hosts of Bartonella between wild and domestic environments.…”

Fragment edge and isolation affect the food web: effects on the strength of interactions among trophic guilds

“…In this situation, rodent populations could have higher growth rates, since they have partly escaped from predation pressure and in turn, from predator control. In addition, rodents have short life cycles and can keep stable populations even in small patch sizes or in edge habitats (Jordã o et al 2010). Thus, rodents would expand until self-regulation because of resource constraints.…”

Hantavirus Reservoirs: Current Status with an Emphasis on Data from Brazil

“…This species generally lives in burrows composed almost entirely of layers of decomposing leaves (litterfall), in which they dig tunnels. At higher elevations (above 900 m) A. montensis lives under grasses and maintains an insectivorous-omnivorous diet [ 78 , 209 , 210 , 211 ].…”