Small rodents in the crop ecosystem of Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan

Abstract

In a 16-month study on rodent-infestation patterns in crop fields on the Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan, five rodent species were found to occur in the following order of dominance: Tatera indica, Bandicota bengalensis, Mus spp., Golunda ellioti and Nesokia indica. On the basis of the trapping data, the first three species were considered to have pest status and their relative abundance changed from season to season. During spring, T. indica and B. bengalensis were the dominant species. B. bengalensis became dominant in summer. The proportion of T. indica increased during the monsoon season and autumn (58.5%) and reached almost 95% during winter. Mus species were more common than B. bengalensis in the post-summer monsoon and autumn. G. ellioti and N. indica were captured occasionally, and showed no seasonal preference. As N. indica is a highly fossorial species, surface trapping is believed to have underestimated its prevalence. Unlike the other species, the population of T. indica was stable all over seasons; this appeared to be linked to its use of the wild vegetation on the field boundaries. This preliminary information highlights the need for further studies to explore the life-history traits and habitats of these rodent species.W R 0 1 0 2 5 R o d e n t s o f t h e P o t h w a r P l a t e a u , P a k i s t a n I . H u s s a i n e t a l .

New Fossil Remains of Artiodactyla from Dhok Pathan Formation, Middle Siwaliks of Punjab, Pakistan

“…The crop field had moist soil with good stand of groundnut plants provided cover to the rodent burrows, so, therefore, their preference toward shrubs and grasses was less. In spring season the breeding activity of the rodents reaches at peak, which corresponds with the maturity of wheat crop and moderate temperature and photoperiod (Hussain et al, 2003). Likewise, the growth of wild vegetation (weeds/shrubs and herbs/grasses) also started in spring that corresponds with the favorable weather conditions, moderate temperature and photoperiod.…”

“…On the Pothwar plateau, agricultural fields have invariably thick undisturbed field boundaries that are maintained to conserve water. Along the field boundaries, apart from wild vegetation of shrubs, fast growing trees are planted for browse and fodder purposes (Hussain et al, 2003). This study was designed to determine the relationship of native plant abundance around rodent burrows at the field edge and structural diversity of adjacent non-crop vegetation in an agricultural landscape.…”

“…The total area of Pothwar Plateau is 13,000 km 2 with elevation varying between 305-610 m. Climate is semi-arid to humid and average annual rainfall ranging from 630-708 mm (Sarwar et al, 2017). The summer temperature ranges between 15 o C and 40 o C while the range of winter temperature is generally between 4 o C and 25 o C but it can occasionally drop below freezing (Hussain et al, 2003). Agriculture consists of two types of cropping systems: wheat-maize/ millet and wheat-groundnut.…”

Evaluation of Different Food Baits by Using Traps for the Control of Lesser Bandicoot Rat (Bandicota Bengalensis) in Field Crops of Pothwar Plateau, Pakistan

“…The presence of the bandicoot rat at the maturity stages of wheat, groundnut and millet crops is supported by some earlier studies on the Pothwar Plateau (Fulk et al, 1980;Brooks et al, 1988;Hussain et al, 2002;Hussain et al, 2003). The surrounding habitats and seasonal changes of Pothwar plateau influence the bandicoot's abundance in wheat crops.…”

Habitat Utilization of Field Rats in Crop Fields and Adjacent Natural Vegetation in District Rawalpindi

“…Robert (1997) reported occurrence of seven rodents species from pothwar plateau; the lesser bandicoot rat (Bandicota bengalensis), the short-tailed mole rat (Nesokia indica), the indian gerbil (Tatera indica), the soft fur mole rat (Millardia meltada), the deseart jird (Meriones hurrianae), the bush rat (Golunda ellioti) and Mus species. A report by Hussain et al (2003) revealed occurrence of five rodent species; the Indian gerbil (Tatera indica), the lesser bandicoot rat (Bandicota bengalensis), Mus species, the short-tailed mole rat (Nesokia indica), and the bush rat (Golunda ellioti). The rodent species in the crop fields of Pothwar plateau inflict 4-10% losses to the standing field crops (mainly wheat and groundnut) at their various growth stages (Fulk et al, 1980;Brooks et al, 1988).…”