Influence of vegetation structure, seasonality, and soil properties on rodent diversi community assemblages in west Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
| dc.contributor.author | Thomas, Suzana M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Soka, Geofrey E. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mulungu, Loth S. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-24T08:18:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-24T08:18:01Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-07-22 | |
| dc.description | Ecology and Evolution | |
| dc.description.abstract | Rodent diversity and community assemblages are affected by several biotic and abiotic factors such as vegetation structure and seasonality. Vegetation structure particularly ground cover influences rodent diversity and community assemblages through provision of food resources and protection from predators. Such informa- tion is important for understanding species–habitat relationships for management and conservation. This study was conducted to determine the influence of vegetation structure, seasonality, and soil properties on species richness, abundance, commu- nity assemblages, and habitat association of rodents in west Mt Kilimanjaro. Rodent trapping was conducted using removal and capture–mark–recapture (CMR) methods with medium-sized Sherman's live traps, snap, and Havarhart traps. Rodents were trapped during wet and dry seasons for three consecutive nights at 4 weeks intervals from April 2020 to March 2021. Environmental variables including vegetation struc- ture, soil physical properties, and disturbance levels were recorded for each habitat type. Fourteen species of rodents were trapped in 25,956 trap nights. Rhabdomys pumilio, Praomys delectorum, and Lophuromys verhageni were the most dominant spe- cies across all habitats and seasons. L.verhageni occurred in all habitats while R.pumilio was restricted from occurring in montane forests. Moreover, species richness and abundance were influenced by habitat types, seasonality, soil type, and ground cover. Generally, both species richness and abundance were higher in fallows and montane forests and significantly lower in plantation forest and agricultural fields. In addition, rodent diversity was highest in fallows, followed by montane forests, and lowest in agricultural fields. Furthermore, rodents were associated with habitat types and veg- etation structure forming two major community assemblages that significantly dif- fered between habitats. Our study conclude that, community assemblages of rodents on Mt. Kilimanjaro were affected by functional spatial heterogeneity of the habitats occupied. Therefore, use of different habitats by rodents may be indicative of the landscape integrity and ecosystem changes based on species assemblages | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | ACE II for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development Project, SUA, Grant/Award Number: 5799 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9211 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/20.500.14820/7839 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | John Wiley & Sons Ltd. | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | 12:e9211 | |
| dc.subject | community assemblage | |
| dc.subject | Mount Kilimanjaro | |
| dc.subject | rodent diversity | |
| dc.subject | vegetation structure | |
| dc.title | Influence of vegetation structure, seasonality, and soil properties on rodent diversi community assemblages in west Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania | |
| dc.type | Article |