COSTECH Integrated Repository

Soil type limits population abundance of rodents in crop fields: case study of the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis Smith, 1834 in Tanzania

Show simple item record

dc.creator Massawe, Apia W.
dc.creator RWAMUGIRA, Winnie
dc.creator LEIRS, Herwig
dc.creator Makundi, Rhodes H.
dc.creator Mulungu, Loth
dc.creator Ngowo, V.
dc.creator Machang'u, Robert S.
dc.date 2016-11-22T07:35:29Z
dc.date 2016-11-22T07:35:29Z
dc.date 2008
dc.date.accessioned 2022-10-25T08:53:28Z
dc.date.available 2022-10-25T08:53:28Z
dc.identifier https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/962
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/93752
dc.description Integrative Zoology 2008; 3:27-30
dc.description Studies of populations of the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis in Morogoro, Tanzania, show that soil texture appears to influence the population abundance and distribution of these rats in agricultural fields. The lowest rodent population abundance was found on sandy clay soils (F (2, 5) = 8.42; P = 0.025). The population abundances of M. natalensis on sandy clay loam and sandy loam soils did not differ significantly (P ≤ 0.05), possibly because these soils have a very similar texture. The results of this study suggest that M. natalensis prefers loam-textured soils with a high percentage of sand, which are probably better than clay soils for burrowing and nesting, particularly in the rainy season. The lower preference for clay soils is probably related to the poor aeration in these soils and the waterlogging that occurs during the wet season.
dc.description SUA - VLIR Programme
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language en
dc.publisher Blackwell Publishing
dc.subject Mastomys
dc.subject Population
dc.subject Soil texture
dc.subject Tanzania
dc.title Soil type limits population abundance of rodents in crop fields: case study of the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis Smith, 1834 in Tanzania
dc.type Article


Files in this item

Files Size Format View
Makundi30.pdf.pdf 67.27Kb application/pdf View/Open

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

Search COSTECH


Advanced Search

Browse

My Account