A comparative study of rodent and shrew diversity and abundance in and outside the N’washitshumbe enclosure site in the Kruger National Park

Understanding the extent and cause of small mammal diversity and movement in an area is one of the major challenges in modern ecology. Rodents are a very successful group forming the largest Order of mammals, but monitoring trends in populations remains complicated, especially when populations are influenced by changes in vegetation structure, seasonal climate fluctuations and different management practices. This project aims to determine the biodiversity of rodent populations in the northern plains of the Kruger National Park and to investigate the possible role they may play as bio-indicators for different management practices. Movement of rodents from one area to the next is expected to be restricted due to changes in the habitat structure. This study describes the results of small mammal trapping in, surrounding and outside the N’washitshumbe enclosure site, an area enclosed since 1968 for the protection of endangered antelope species in the northern plains of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The study refers to plant association, seasonal change, management practices (e.g. presence or absence of fire and elephant impact) and community dynamics of rodents. It is argued that progress in estimating rodent diversity to develop an understanding of small mammal community dynamics will be enhanced by building local inventories of fluctuations of species diversity and abundance, and in descriptive and experimental studies of the structure of the communities.Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009.Zoology and Entomologyunrestricte

The influence of fire on rodent abundance at the N'washitshumbe enclosure site, Kruger National Park, South Africa

The relative population numbers of rodents were studied in nine habitats in and outside the N’washitshumbe enclosure site, Kruger National Park, before and after burning the firebreaks that surround the enclosure. Trap success was exceptionally high, and the field work is suspected to have coincided with a Mastomys population explosion. This genus dominated the small mammal communities before and after the burn, and never disappeared from the burnt patches. Its numbers also did not crash directly after the burn, as have been reported in most other studies. Movement from the burnt areas was observed, which may have had a significant impact on the numbers of rodents caught both inside the enclosure and in the more natural areas outside. Our study suggests that fire can be investigated as a tool to keep rodent densities down in areas where they are nuisance animals, especially when used in conjunction with models that forecast outbreaks of Mastomys. It also emphasizes the value of long-term studies informing management strategies for animal damage control and biodiversity and ecosystem conservation.http://www.bioone.org/loi/afzoab201

The dynamics of small mammal populations in Rocky Highveld Grassland, Telperion, South Africa

The present study investigates trap success, species richness, community structure, capture-recapture ratios, sex, population estimates, climatic effects, diversity, age structure, signs of reproduction, and seasonal changes in the body biomass in seven broad vegetation communities in the Bankenveld Grasslands of Telperion in Mpumalanga Province, and Ezemvelo Nature Reserve in Gauteng Province, South Africa. This study focuses on the effect of past management influences on diversity and abundance. The mean trap success recorded for the study is 8.6%. The Rocky Open Shrub community had the highest trap success recorded (37.03%), followed by the Northern Slope Woodland community (20.09%), Sheltered Woodland Community (14.51%), Rocky Highveld Grassland (11.98%), Degraded Grassland (7.25%), Moist Degraded Grassland (4.73%) and the lowest traps success was recorded in the Burkea Eragrostis Clumps community (4.39%). The capture frequency differed between transformed sites (12.9%) and non-transformed sites (87.1%), although the untransformed Rocky Highveld Grassland had the highest species richness, followed by the transformed Degraded Grassland community. The population of small mammals investigated appears to be resident, however certain species were not recorded at certain times of the year, and local movements are expected. Telperion and Ezemvelo Nature Reserve are estimated to have a population estimate of 377 620 small mammals on the properties. Climate appears to have a direct impact on small mammal fauna, influencing food availability, abundance, home range size and breeding. The summer months had the highest species diversity, possibly due to the fact that animals are reproductively active and more readily recorded, while maximum temperature does not appear to impact species richness, possibly due to the fact that the majority of the species recorded are nocturnal in habits. The Rocky Highveld Grassland community had the highest diversity score (H = 1.89), and is considered the most diverse community with ten species recorded. The Moist Degraded Grassland community had the second highest diversity score (H = 1.87) with eight species recorded. Three species were recorded in the Rocky Open Shrub community with the lowest diversity score (H = 0.65). The study site has a diverse and abundant small mammal fauna, indicative of a balanced ecosystem.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014.Zoology and EntomologyPhDUnrestricte