scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variation in small mammal abundance and diversity under protection, pastoralism and agriculture in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica T. Shilereyo ◽  
Flora J. Magige ◽  
Joseph O. Ogutu ◽  
Eivin Røskaft
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Serengeti Ecosystem ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity

AbstractLand use is an important factor influencing animal abundance, species richness and diversity in both protected and human-dominated landscapes. Increase in human population and activities intensify changes in habitat structure and hence abundance, species richness and diversity. We investigated the influences of land use and seasonality on small mammal abundance, species richness and diversity in 10 habitat types distributed over protected, agricultural and pastoral landscapes in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania. We used live traps (n = 141) and capture-recapture methods in each of 10 fixed plots distributed across three landscapes for a total of 28,200 trap nights of effort. Trapping was carried out in the wet and dry seasons for two consecutive years (April 2017 to October 2018). Small mammal abundance was higher in the pastoral than in the protected and in the agricultural landscape. Abundance was higher in the dry than the wet season across all the three landscapes. Species richness and diversity were higher in the protected, middling in the agricultural and lowest in the pastoral landscape. The high abundance in the pastoral landscape was due to the numerical dominance of two species, namely A. niloticus in the shrubland and M. natalensis in the cropland habitat, resulting in low species richness and diversity. Abundance was more evenly distributed across all habitats in the protected area due to less disturbance. The low abundance in the agricultural landscape, likely reflects disturbance from cultivation. High species richness and diversity in the protected area indicate high habitat heterogeneity while high species diversity in the agricultural landscape was likely due to high food availability during and soon after harvests. These findings emphasize the importance of protection in maintaining habitat heterogeneity for wildlife. They also reaffirm the need for buffer zones around protected areas to cushion them from intensifying human activities.

Field Margin Weed-Species Diversity in Relation to Landscape Attributes and Adjacent Land Use

Weed Science ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn M. Sosnoskie ◽  
Edward C. Luschei ◽  
Mark A. Fanning
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Field Margin ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Modeling Strategy

The importance of managing weeds in seminatural habitats that are adjacent to farm fields is unclear. Weedy-margin vegetation may harbor pests or pathogens and may ALSo serve as source populations for ongoing immigration of weeds into the field. It is ALSo possible, however, that margin vegetation provides habitat for organisms that consume weed seeds or suppress the likelihood of pest or pathogen outbreak. We examined the nature of margin habitat using spatial-scaling of Weed-Species richness as an ecological assay. In 2003, we recorded the occurrence of weedy species along the perimeters of 63 fields in Wisconsin. The fields were distributed within six counties that differed in topography, geological history, local climate, and soil type and which spanned the range of variability in the agricultural landscape. We identified seven habitats that differed in geology and land use. The relationship between species richness and margin class was estimated using an analog of the power law. Additionally, we investigated broadscale correlates of habitat heterogeneity at the field level, using a modeling strategy that included additional explanatory factors logically connected to plant diversity. Using a model-confrontation approach, the survey supported the inclusion of two topographical diversity indices, elevation gradient and a field-shape index, into our model. Our broadscale survey provides information on one of a suite of important considerations needed to make decisions about the importance of managing weeds in field margins.

scholarly journals Changes in small mammal assemblage structure across a rain forest/open forest ecotone

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN E. WILLIAMS ◽  
HELENE MARSH
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Large Change ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Live Trapping ◽  
Sclerophyll Forest ◽  
World Heritage Area ◽  
Forest Ecotone

The effect of the change in vegetation structure from closed rain forest to tall open forest on the small mammal assemblage was studied by live trapping at three sites where the ecotone was very narrow (> 20 m) near the southern end of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of Australia. Habitat heterogeneity was significantly higher in the mixed open forest/ecotone area than in the adjacent rain forest. There was a large change in the struture of the small mammal assemblage coincident with the vegetation discontinuity. Although the species richness of small mammals was relatively constant across the gradient, the evenness and diversity of the assemblage declined across the transition from open forest into rain forest and biomass increased, largely due to the high abundance of Rattus fuscipes in the rain forest. The results suggest that the species richness of the small mammal assemblage was not determined by the spatial heterogeneity of the vegetation struture. The species composition of the rain forest is probably related to the historical biogeography of the area whereas the species richness of the wet sclerophyll forest is probably due to a mass-area effect from the adjcant large areas of rain forest and dry sclerophyll forest. However, the evenness, and therefore the diversity of the assemblage, was strongly affected by habitat heterogeneity.

Semi-natural grassland continuity, long-term land-use change and plant species richness in an agricultural landscape on Öland, Sweden

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 200-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotten J. Johansson ◽  
Karin Hall ◽  
Honor C. Prentice ◽  
Margareta Ihse ◽  
Triin Reitalu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Natural Grassland

Vegetation management and ecosystem disturbance: impact of glyphosate herbicide on plant and animal diversity in terrestrial systems

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
T P Sullivan ◽  
D S Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Vegetation Management ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Glyphosate Herbicide

The conservation of biological diversity (biodiversity) is becoming an integral part of the sustainable management of forest- and agro-ecosystems. A vital part of these systems is weed control, or vegetation management, to enhance crop production. Because of its widespread use and environmental compatibility, this review was designed to evaluate glyphosate herbicide in terms of: (i) its role as a disturbance agent and (ii) a measure of its impact on species diversity of terrestrial plants and animals. Our analyses were based on 60 published studies of terrestrial plants and animals in temperate zone forest- and agro-ecosystems. Species richness and diversity of vascular plants was either unaffected or increased, particularly herbaceous species, in response to glyphosate. Responses of plant species in forest ecosystems differ from those in agro-ecosystems where glyphosate is used to repeatedly reduce non-crop vegetation in most situations. Richness and diversity of songbirds appeared little affected by glyphosate-induced habitat alteration. In studies on small mammal communities and glyphosate use, none found significant reductions in species richness or diversity. As for avian responses, some small mammal species declined temporarily whereas others increased in abundance. The impact of glyphosate on large mammalian herbivores was measured by abundance of animals and food plants and by habitat use. Hares (Lepus spp. L.) and deer (Odocoileus spp. Rafinesque and Capreolus capreolus L.) were little affected, whereas reductions in plant biomass and related moose (Alces alces L.) forage and habitat use generally occur for 1–5 years after treatment. Studies on terrestrial invertebrates covered a wide range of taxa with variable responses in abundance to glyphosate treatments. The magnitude of observed changes in mean species richness and diversity of vascular plants, birds, and small mammals, from the effects of herbicide treatment, were within the mean values of natural fluctuations of these variables. The biological significance of this impact is limited to shifts in species composition based on changes in floral composition and structure of habitats. Management for a mosaic of habitats within forest and agricultural landscapes, which provide a range of conditions for plant and animal species, should help ameliorate the short-term changes in species composition accompanying vegetation management with glyphosate.Key words: agro-ecosystems, forests, glyphosate, plants and animals, species richness and diversity, vegetation management.

scholarly journals Elevational pattern of bird species richness and its causes along a central Himalaya gradient, China

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyuan Pan ◽  
Zhifeng Ding ◽  
Yiming Hu ◽  
Jianchao Liang ◽  
Yongjie Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Central Himalaya ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Richness Pattern ◽  
Richness Patterns

This study examines the relative importance of six variables: area, the mid-domain effect, temperature, precipitation, productivity, and habitat heterogeneity on elevational patterns of species richness for breeding birds along a central Himalaya gradient in the Gyirong Valley, the longest of five canyons in the Mount Qomolangma National Nature Reserve. We conducted field surveys in each of twelve elevational bands of 300 m between 1,800 and 5,400 m asl four times throughout the entire wet season. A total of 169 breeding bird species were recorded and most of the species (74%) were small-ranged. The species richness patterns of overall, large-ranged and small-ranged birds were all hump-shaped, but with peaks at different elevations. Large-ranged species and small-ranged species contributed equally to the overall richness pattern.Based on the bivariate and multiple regression analyses, area and precipitation were not crucial factors in determining the species richness along this gradient. The mid-domain effect played an important role in shaping the richness pattern of large-ranged species. Temperature was negatively correlated with overall and large-ranged species but positively correlated with small-ranged species. Productivity was a strong explanatory factor among all the bird groups, and habitat heterogeneity played an important role in shaping the elevational richness patterns of overall and small-ranged species. Our results highlight the need to conserve primary forest and intact habitat in this area. Furthermore, we need to increase conservation efforts in this montane biodiversity hotspot in light of increasing anthropogenic activities and land use pressure.

scholarly journals The abundance and diversity of grasshopper communities in relation to elevation and land use in Malang, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Setyo Leksono ◽  
Bagyo Yanuwiadi ◽  
Aminudin Afandhi ◽  
MOHAMMAD FARHAN ◽  
Anisa Zairina
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Altitudinal Gradient ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Grasshopper Species ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Abstract. Leksono AS, Yanuwiadi B, Afandhi A, Farhan M, Zairina A. 2020. The abundance and diversity of grasshopper communities in relation to elevation and land use in Malang, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5614-5620. Ecological factors include interactions of the community members with numerous biotic and abiotic factors such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, light intensity, and seasonality show an altitudinal gradient. Most grasshopper species play a role as herbivores and are a good source of protein for other animals such as amphibians, small reptiles, birds, and small mammals. This study aimed to analyze variations in the abundance, richness, and diversity of grasshopper species along an altitudinal gradient. This research was conducted in five locations in Malang District, East Java, Indonesia, namely Bantur, Sumber Pujung Lawang, Pujon, and Poncokusumo. Grasshopper sampling was carried out by the sweeping method using an insect net. Sweepings were carried out on four plots with each plot size of 2 x 10 m2. Sampling was conducted four times from June to August 2020. The data were analyzed using the Shannon Wiener index (diversity analysis) and the Bray-Curtis index. The differences between locations were tested by one-way analysis of variance. Land use was analyzed by ArcGIS, using Landsat imagery 8. The abundance of grasshoppers had a significant negative correlation with elevation. That correlation was positive to species richness and diversity of grasshoppers. That with species diversity was significant, while that with species richness was not significant. The greatest abundance of the grasshopper was found in the middle elevation in Lawang (19.39 ± 2.12). In contrast, the highest species richness and diversity were found in the highest elevation in Poncokusumo (richness = 15.75 ± 1.60 and H '= 2.58 ± 0.11). Land use variation was not significant on abundance, species, richness, and diversity of grasshoppers. Interestingly, the high similarity of the grasshopper compositions in low elevation habitats was detected, indicating that land use in the low land area was remarkable. The abundance of grasshopper had a significant positive correlation with temperature but negatively correlated with humidity. There was no significant correlation among species richness, species diversity with temperature and humidity.

Anthropogenic stressors influence small mammal communities in tropical East African savanna at multiple spatial scales

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea E. Byrom ◽  
Ally J. K. Nkwabi ◽  
Kristine Metzger ◽  
Simon A. R. Mduma ◽  
Guy J. Forrester ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
East African ◽  
African Savanna ◽  
Serengeti Ecosystem ◽  
Anthropogenic Stressors ◽  
Small Mammal Community

Context Protection of natural ecosystems undoubtedly safeguards ecological communities, with positive benefits for ecosystem processes and function. However, ecosystems are under threat from anthropogenic stressors that reduce the resilience both of component species and the system as a whole. Aims To determine how anthropogenic stressors (land use and climate change) could impact the diversity and resilience of a small mammal community in the greater Serengeti ecosystem, an East African savanna comprising Serengeti National Park (SNP) and adjacent agro-ecosystems, at local (SNP) and Africa-wide geographic scales. Methods We recorded small mammal species in 10 habitats in the greater Serengeti ecosystem, including the agro-ecosystem, over 48 years (1962–2010). We calculated richness and diversity for each habitat type, and used an index of similarity to quantify differences in the community among habitats. Species accumulation curves were also generated for each habitat type. Key results We recorded 40 species of small mammals in the greater Serengeti ecosystem. At the local scale, restricted habitat types in SNP (each <1% of the total area) made a disproportionately large contribution to diversity. Agro-ecosystems had lower richness and were less likely to contain specialist species. At regional and Africa-wide scales, local endemics were less likely to be recorded in the agro-ecosystem (57% species loss) compared with those with regional (33% loss) or Africa-wide (31%) geographic distributions. Conclusions At the local scale, the variety of habitats in SNP contributed to overall diversity. However, the ability to maintain this diversity in the adjacent agro-ecosystem was compromised for localised endemics compared with species with Africa-wide ranges. Land use intensification adjacent to SNP and projected changes in rainfall patterns for East Africa under global climate scenarios may compromise the future resilience of the small mammal community in this tropical savanna ecosystem. Implications The loss of rare or specialised species from protected areas and human-modified ecosystems could be mitigated by: (1) increasing habitat complexity and maintaining specialist habitats in the agro-ecosystem; and (2) creating buffers at the boundary of protected natural ecosystems that accommodate regime shifts in response to climatic change. These measures would increase the resilience of this coupled human–natural savanna ecosystem.

scholarly journals PLANT SPECIES RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY IN NATURAL BEECH AND OAK DOMINATED FORESTS OF KOSMAJ PROTECTED AREA (SERBIA)

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 2617-2628
Author(s):  
S. STAJIĆ ◽  
R. CVJETIĆANIN ◽  
V. ČOKEŠA ◽  
Z. MILETIĆ ◽  
M. NOVAKOVIĆ-VUKOVIĆ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity

Ecology of small mammals in tropical forest habitats of southern India

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjali Chandrasekar-Rao ◽  
Melvin E. Sunquist
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Teak Plantation ◽  
Forest Sites

ABSTRACTFive species of rodent (Rattus rattus wroughtoni, Mus platythrix, Funambulus tristriatus, Cremnomys blanfordi and Golunda ellioti) were live-trapped over a period of eight months in three different habitat types (moist evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest and teak plantation) in Anaimalais Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India. Small mammal densities ranged between 16.3 individuals ha−1 and 20.7 ha−1 for the natural forest sites and were 10.4 ha−1 in the teak plantation. Moist deciduous forest had the highest species richness and diversity scores. Although the teak plantation site had the same mammal species richness as the moist evergreen forest, numbers of individuals and overall small mammal biomass in the plantation was far lower than on the natural forest sites. Compared to moist deciduous forest, species richness and diversity were significantly lower on the teak plantation. R. r. wroughtoni and M. platythrix were the two most common species captured on all three sites. R. r. wroughtoni was the most common small mammal species captured, reaching densities of 14.5 ha−1 in moist evergreen forest. G. ellioti was the least common species, present only in moist deciduous forest. Demographic patterns and microhabitat selection were examined for R. r. wroughtoni, M. platythrix, and F. tristriatus. Only M. platythrix appeared to show any distinct seasonality in reproduction, with an increase in capture of breeding individuals towards the end of the wet season. Discriminant analysis did not reveal any distinct microhabitat preferences for any of the species. However, R. r. wroughtoni showed a significant association with bamboo, and F. tristriatus was associated with areas of higher canopy height and density in moist deciduous forest.

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