Temporal and spatial changes in small mammal communities in a disturbed mountain forest

In 2005–2016, we investigated a secondary succession of small mammal communities in forest ecosystems in High Tatras (Slovakia) disturbed by windstorm and fire. This long-term ecological study confirmed the occurrence of significant temporal and spatial changes in species composition and number of dominant small mammal species. A comparison between disturbed and undisturbed plots indicated notable differences in species richness and abundance. The gradations of dominant small mammal species in disturbed habitats were asynchronous and showed a wider range of amplitude than in the undisturbed plots. An analysis of the temporal and spatial changes in the structure of small mammal communities in relation to selected environmental gradients confirmed the statistically significant effect of secondary succession on species composition, abundance, and exchange in forest ecosystems in the High Tatra Mountains following a disturbance.

An attempt to determine the size of the Common Barn-owl’s (Tyto alba) hunting area based on its prey composition

The relative abundance of small mammal species detected from Common Barn-owl pellets reflects the landscape structure and habitat pattern of the owl’s hunting area, but it is also affected by the size of the collected pellet sample and the size of the supposed hunting area. The questions arise: how many pellets should be collected and analyzed as well as how large hunting area should be taken into consideration in order to reach the best correspondence between the owl’s prey composition and the distribution of habitats preferred by small mammals preyed in supposed hunting areas? For this study, we collected 1045 Common Barn-owl pellets in a village in southern Hungary. All detected small mammal species were classified into functional groups (guilds) preferring urban, open, forest and wetland habitats. The proportion of functional groups was compared to the proportion of these habitats around the pellet collection site within circles of one, two, and three km radius. Saturation curves showed that at least 300 pellets or ca. 600 mammalian remains are required for the detection of the 19 small mammal species. The share of small mammals detected in the prey and their functional groups according to their habitat preference showed an increasing consistency with the distribution of real habitats in the potential hunting area of a radius of 3 km around the owl’s breeding or resting place.

List of Species and Conservation Status of Avifauna and Small mammal around Bade Segment Area of River Yobe, Yobe State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to assess a Checklist of avifauna and small mammal species along Bade catchment area of Yobe State, Nigeria. Preliminary survey was conducted around the river, three (3) habitat types were identified; (river bank, farm lands and flood plain). The line transect was 8 km in length. Two (2) transects were established per habitat type, making a total of six (6) transects. The transects were 100 m apart to the left or right in order to avoid double counting of species. A distance of 200m was maintained between each habitat. The data obtained were analyses using descriptive statistics (Frequency tables and Charts were used to portrayed the findings. The result of the study; showed that a total of 50 bird species in 28 families were recorded. RB had the highest individuals of Fifty (50) species while FP has the lowest with ten (10) species. The Bird family Columbidae has the highest number with six (6) of species, while the lowest were Ardeidae, Sturnidae and Tytonidae with one species in each of the habitat types. However, checklist of small mammal species also indicated that a total of 6 species of small mammals belonging to 4 families were identified. The result of the study shows that the family Muridae has 3 species which was the highest number of per family identified in the study area, this is due to the fact that Muridae family are the most common small mammals in the study area. And both bird small species fell under least concern (LC) category except Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus which felled under near threatened (NT) species. However, awareness campaign should also be organize for the residents around the study area on the presence, distribution of bird and small mammal species and also disturbing effect of their activities on bird and small mammal around the segment area of river Yobe.

Abundance, relative home range and species - habitat association of small mammal species in Nyerere National Park, Tanzania

Home ranges play an important role in the ecology of small mammals in understanding the driving factors for variations between species, including; mating patterns, foraging behavior and habitat use. We investigated the abundance, relative home ranges and species-habitat association of small mammal species in the Nyerere National Park. Two habitats; closed woodland and seasonal riverine forest were selected and in each habitat two grids of 70m x 70m were established. The Capture Mark Recapture technique was deployed. From July 2018 to June 2020 a total of 732 small mammal individuals belonging to 19 species were captured. Of the 19 species captured, 12 were rodents, 2 insectivores, 4 carnivores; and 1 primate. Acomys ngurui abundance was not statistically significant different between habitats (W = 220, df = 1, p = 0.144) and across seasons (F(2, 45) = 1.41, p = 0.2547)). While, Mastomys natalensis and Lemniscomys rosalia were statistically significant different (W = 407, p = 0.01 and W=430.5, p=0.002 respectively) between habitats and across seasons (F(2,45) = 4.352, p = 0.019 and F(2,45) = 6.321, p = 0.0038 respectively). Acomys ngurui had the largest mean home range size (1,087.58 m2) than L. rosalia (831.55 m2) and M. natalensis (166 m2) with overlaps being recorded in habitats and across seasons. Most small mammals were associated with seasonal riverine forest. We conclude that, small mammal species abundance and home ranges vary with habitats and seasons for individual species in the Nyerere National Park. We recommend to the management of the park to consider small mammals in their general management plan.

Mammal Species Richness at a Catena and Nearby Waterholes during a Drought, Kruger National Park, South Africa

Catenas are undulating hillslopes on a granite geology characterised by different soil types that create an environmental gradient from crest to bottom. The main aim was to determine mammal species (>mongoose) present on one catenal slope and its waterholes and group them by feeding guild and body size. Species richness was highest at waterholes (21 species), followed by midslope (19) and sodic patch (16) on the catena. Small differences observed in species presence between zones and waterholes and between survey periods were not significant (p = 0.5267 and p = 0.9139). In total, 33 species were observed with camera traps: 18 herbivore species, 10 carnivores, two insectivores and three omnivores. Eight small mammal species, two dwarf antelopes, 11 medium, six large and six mega-sized mammals were observed. Some species might not have been recorded because of drought, seasonal movement or because they travelled outside the view of cameras. Mammal presence is determined by food availability and accessibility, space, competition, distance to water, habitat preferences, predators, body size, social behaviour, bound to territories, etc. The variety in body size and feeding guilds possibly indicates a functioning catenal ecosystem. This knowledge can be beneficial in monitoring and conservation of species in the park.

Rodent-Borne Orthohantaviruses in Vietnam, Madagascar and Japan

Hantaviruses are harbored by multiple small mammal species in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. To ascertain the geographic distribution and virus-host relationships of rodent-borne hantaviruses in Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Madagascar, RNAlater™-preserved lung tissues of 981 rodents representing 40 species, collected in 2011–2017, were analyzed for hantavirus RNA by RT-PCR. Our data showed Hantaan orthohantavirus Da Bie Shan strain in the Chinese white-bellied rat (Niviventer confucianus) in Vietnam, Thailand; orthohantavirus Anjo strain in the black rat (Rattus rattus) in Madagascar; and Puumala orthohantavirus Hokkaido strain in the grey-sided vole (Myodes rufocanus) in Japan. The Hokkaido strain of Puumala virus was also detected in the large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus) and small Japanese field mouse (Apodemus argenteus), with evidence of host-switching as determined by co-phylogeny mapping.

Evolutionary Relationships of Ljungan Virus Variants Circulating in Multi-Host Systems across Europe

The picornavirus named ‘Ljungan virus’ (LV, species Parechovirus B) has been detected in a dozen small mammal species from across Europe, but detailed information on its genetic diversity and host specificity is lacking. Here, we analyze the evolutionary relationships of LV variants circulating in free-living mammal populations by comparing the phylogenetics of the VP1 region (encoding the capsid protein and associated with LV serotype) and the 3Dpol region (encoding the RNA polymerase) from 24 LV RNA-positive animals and a fragment of the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) sequence (used for defining strains) in sympatric small mammals. We define three new VP1 genotypes: two in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) (genotype 8 from Finland, Sweden, France, and Italy, and genotype 9 from France and Italy) and one in field voles (Microtus arvalis) (genotype 7 from Finland). There are several other indications that LV variants are host-specific, at least in parts of their range. Our results suggest that LV evolution is rapid, ongoing and affected by genetic drift, purifying selection, spillover and host evolutionary history. Although recent studies suggest that LV does not have zoonotic potential, its widespread geographical and host distribution in natural populations of well-characterized small mammals could make it useful as a model for studying RNA virus evolution and transmission.

Monkeypox viruses circulate in distantly-related small mammal species in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

We determined near complete and complete monkeypox virus genomes in a shrew (Crocidura littoralis), two squirrels (Funisciurus anerythrus, Funisciurus bayonii), and produced shorter sequences from two rats (Stochomys longicaudatus, Cricetomys sp. 2) originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This suggests that a number of rodents besides squirrels (families Muridae and Nesomyidae) and shrews (order Eulipotyphla) are potential monkeypox virus reservoirs.

Long-term stress level in a small mammal species undergoing range expansion

Rapid climate change is currently altering species distribution ranges. Evaluating the long-term stress level in wild species undergoing range expansion may help better understanding how species cope with the changing environment. Here, we focused on the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), a widespread small mammal species in North-America whose distribution range is rapidly shifting northward. We evaluated long-term stress level in several populations of P. leucopus in Quebec (Canada), from the northern edge of the species distribution to more core populations in Southern Quebec. We first tested the hypothesis that populations at the range margin are under higher stress than more established populations in the southern region of our study area. We then compared four measures of long-term stress level to evaluate the congruence between these commonly used methods. We did not detect any significant geographical trend in stress level across our study populations of P. leucopus. Most notably, we found no clear congruence between the four measures of stress level we used, and conclude that these four commonly used methods are not equivalent, thereby not comparable across studies.