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Species composition, relative abundance and habitat association of small mammals along the altitudinal gradient of J iren M ountain, J imma, E thiopia
Author(s) -
Habtamu Tadesse,
Bekele Afework
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12005
Subject(s) - habitat , shrub , abundance (ecology) , ecology , altitude (triangle) , eucalyptus , relative species abundance , biology , vegetation (pathology) , mastomys , range (aeronautics) , geography , rodent , geometry , mathematics , medicine , materials science , pathology , composite material
To document the species composition, relative abundance and habitat association of small mammals, wet and dry season surveys were conducted along the altitudinal gradient of J iren M ountain, J imma area, E thiopia. S herman traps were used to capture small mammals from the six habitats: wetland, mixed plantation, open shrub, eucalyptus plantation, montane grassland and coffee plantation. The 393 trap nights, from the six habitat types, yielded 106 individual small mammals of tweleve species. The trapped rodents were L ophuromys flavopunctatus, S tenocephalemys albipes, D esmomys harringtoni, M us mahomet, L emniscomys barbarous, L . striatus, T achyoryctes splendens, M astomys natalensis and the insectivores C rocidura fumosa and C . turba . Two species of rodents H ystrix cristata and H elioscuirus gambianus were observed. L ophuromys flavopunctatus and S . albipes contributed 83.8% of the total capture. L . flavopunctatus, S . albipes and D . harringtoni were distributed in all habitats and gradients. T . splendens was captured from montane habitat, while the zebra mice were associated with the lower altitude habitats. L ophuromys flavopunctatus and M . natalensis extended their range deep into the coffee plantation habitats. Uncontrolled vegetation exploitation of the mountains for timber production and fire wood collection are the major threats. Conservation of the area to reduce the anthropogenic pressure is essential.