6 research outputs found
Temporal Distribution and Weather Correlates of Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Infestations in the City of Madrid, Spain
Urban Norway rats are challenging pests, posing significant health and economic threats. Implementing
ecologically based integrated rodent management (EBIRM) programmes relies primarily on the
understanding of ecological relationships between rodents and their environments, with emphasis on the
processes influencing rodent populations in the target ecosystem. We investigated the temporal distribution of
urban Norway rat infestations in Madrid, Spain, and tested for the association of such infestations with
temperature, relative humidity and precipitation by fitting a multivariate Poisson generalized linear model to a
3-year (2006–2008) daily time series of 4,689 Norway rat sightings. Norway rat infestations showed a marked
seasonality, peaking in the summer. Most Norway rat sightings were reported on Mondays. Minimum temperature
and relative humidity were positively associated with Norway rat infestation, whereas the association
with precipitation was negative. The time series was adequately explained by the model. We identified previously
unrecognized time periods that are more prone to Norway rat infestation than others and generated
hypotheses about the association between weather, human outdoor activity, resource availability, rodent
activity and population size. This provided local authorities engaged in preserving urban ecosystem health with
basic research information to predict future rodent outbreaks and support the implementation of EBIRM
programmes in urban areas