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Influence of vegetation structure, seasonality, and soil physical properties on rodent species diversity and community assemblages on West Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
  • SUZANA THOMAS,
  • LOTH MULUNGU,
  • GEOFREY SOKA
SUZANA THOMAS
Sokoine University of Agriculture College of Forestry Wildlife and Tourism

Corresponding Author:meydancan@gmail.com

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LOTH MULUNGU
Sokoine University of Agriculture College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
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GEOFREY SOKA
Sokoine University of Agriculture College of Forestry Wildlife and Tourism
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Abstract

A study on rodent species diversity and community assemblages in West Mt Kilimanjaro was conducted in seven different habitats, covering two dry and wet seasons. Data were collected using a combination of medium-sized Sherman’s live traps, snap and Havarhart traps, for three consecutive nights. General Linear Models (GLM) were used to analyze the effects of predictors (vegetation attributes, seasonality, soil physical properties, disturbance and altitude) on rodent species richness and abundance. Community structure analysis was conducted in the Primer v6 program and Canonical correspondence analysis for habitat association in PAST. A total of 1,393 individuals from 14 species of rodents were trapped. The most dominant rodent species were Rhabdomys pumilioPraomys delectorum, and Lophuromys verhageni which contributed to 68.86% of the total captures. Lophuromys verhageni occurred across all the habitats and seasons. Moreover, habitat types, seasonality, soil texture, ground cover, and altitude significantly influenced rodent species abundance (P< 0.05). Furthermore, habitat types, seasonality and altitude significantly influenced rodent species richness (F8, 759 = 629.7, p< 0.001, R2 = 0.87). In addition to that, two major rodent communities were formed in different habitats. The results show that rodent species richness, abundance, and community assemblages in Mt Kilimanjaro, are a result of change in vegetation structure along the altitudinal gradients. Therefore, information on habitat requirements of multiple species is crucial for the management and conservation of these communities.
25 Nov 2021Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
26 Nov 2021Submission Checks Completed
26 Nov 2021Assigned to Editor
02 Dec 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
11 Dec 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 Dec 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
24 Feb 20221st Revision Received
24 Feb 2022Assigned to Editor
24 Feb 2022Submission Checks Completed
24 Feb 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
25 Feb 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
11 Mar 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
31 Mar 20222nd Revision Received
01 Apr 2022Assigned to Editor
01 Apr 2022Submission Checks Completed
01 Apr 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
15 Apr 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
27 Apr 20223rd Revision Received
28 Apr 2022Submission Checks Completed
28 Apr 2022Assigned to Editor
28 Apr 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 May 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
25 May 20224th Revision Received
26 May 2022Submission Checks Completed
26 May 2022Assigned to Editor
26 May 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
10 Jun 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
29 Jun 20225th Revision Received
29 Jun 2022Assigned to Editor
29 Jun 2022Submission Checks Completed
29 Jun 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
22 Jul 2022Editorial Decision: Accept