Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T08:08:39.206Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ecology of the small mammals in the riverine forests of the Jubba Valley, Southern Somalia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Nigel Varty
Nigel Varty
Affiliation:
Somalia Research Project, c/o Ecology and Conservation Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, England
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Seven species of rodent, Paraxerus ochraceus, Tatera robusta, Saccostomus meamsi, Praomys (Mastomys) natalensis, Acomys dimidiatus, Thamnomys (Grammomys) dolichurus and Hystrix cristata were recorded in the riverine forests of the Jubba Valley, southern Somalia, in the dry season of 1986. Acomys dimidiatus was the most common of the five species trapped. Overall trap success was low, but increased over successive days. Saccostomus mearnsi, Praomys natalensis, Acomys dimidiatus and Thamnomys dolichurus all showed signs of breeding, and pregnant females of A. dimidiatus and T. dolichurus were trapped until the end of the dry season. Analysis of stomach contents revealed that all five trapped species relied heavily on seeds and, where comparisons could be made, the degree of overlap in diets was high. The findings are discussed in relation to the environmental conditions in the forest and neighbouring habitats.

Keywords

dietecologyfloodingJubba Valleyreproductionriverine forestsmall mammalsSomalia
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , May 1990 , pp. 179 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Andrews, P., Groves, C. P. & Horne, J. F. M. 1975. Ecology of the Lower Tana River flood plain (Kenya). Journal of the East African Natural History Society and National Museum 151:1–31.Google Scholar
Churchfield, S. 1985. Feeding habits of two syntopic small mammals in northern Zimbabwe. Zeitschrift für Saugetierkunde 50:6–11.Google Scholar
Delany, M. J. 1975. The rodents of Uganda. British Museum (Natural History), London, viii + 165 pp.Google Scholar
Field, A. C. 1975. Seasonal changes in reproduction, diet and body composition of two equatorial rodents. East African Wildlife Journal 13:221–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Funaioli, U. 1971. Guida breve dei Mammiferi della Somalia. Instituto Agronomico per l'Otremare, Firenze, Italy. 232 pp.Google Scholar
Hughes, F. M. R. 1984. A comment on the impact of development schemes on the floodplain forests of the Tana River in Kenya. Geographical Journal 150:230–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kingdon, J. 1974. East African mammals: an atlas in evolution. Vol. IIB (Hares and Rodents). Academic Press, London. 362 pp.Google Scholar
LRDC. 1985. Land in tsetse affected areas of southern Somalia. SDR, NTTCP, Muqdisho, Somalia. 200 pp.Google Scholar
Madgwick, J., Maunder, M., Varty, N. & Wood, B. 1988. Somalia Research Project. An ecological study of the remaining areas of riverine forest in the Jubba Valley, southern Somalia; Final Report. Unpubl. Ecology and Conservation Unit, University College London, 172 pp.Google Scholar
Neal, B. R. 1977. Reproduction of the multimammate rat, Praomys (Mastomys) natalensis (Smith), in Uganda. Zeitschrift für Saugetierkunde 42:221–231.Google Scholar
Neal, B. R. 1983. The breeding pattern of two species of spiny mice Acomys percivali and A. wilsoni (Muridae: Rodentia) in central Kenya. Mammalia 47:311–321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neal, B. R. 1984a. Seasonal feeding habits of small mammals in Kenya. Zeitschrift für Saugetierkunde 49:226–234.Google Scholar
Neal, B. R. 1984b. Relationship between feeding habits, climate and reproduction of small mammals in Meru National Park, Kenya. African Journal of Ecology 22:195–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perrin, M. R. 1980. The feeding habits of two co-existing rodents, Rhabdomys pumilio (Sparmann, 1784) and Otomys irroratus (Brants, 1827), in relation to rainfall and reproduction. Acta Oecologia/Oecologia Generalis 1:71–90.Google Scholar
Rogers, W. A., Owen, C. F. & Homewood, K. M. 1982. Biogeography of East African forest mammals. Journal of Biogeography 9:41–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheppe, W. 1972. The annual cycle of small mammal populations on a Zambian floodplain. Journal of Mammalogy 53:445–460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheppe, W. & Haas, P. 1981. The annual cycle of small mammal populations along the Chobe River, Botswana. Mammalia 45:157–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simonetta, A., Roche, J. & Mannucci, P. 1978. Primo tentativo di descrizione e di identificazione dei Roditori della Republica Democratica Somala. Studi e Richeche 2:157–185.Google Scholar
Taylor, K. D. & Green, M. G. 1976. The influence of rainfall on diet and reproduction in four African rodent species. Journal of Zoology (London) 180:367–389.Google Scholar
Varty, N. 1987. Guide to the mammals of Balcad Nature Reserve, Balcad, Somalia. Somalia Ecological Society, Muqdisho, Somalia. 35 pp.Google Scholar
Varty, N. (1988). Mammals and problems of their conservation in the riverine forests of the Jubba Valley, southern Somalia. Tropical Zoology 1(2): 179–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Varty, N. & Hill, J. E. (1988). Notes on a collection of bats from the riverine forests of the Jubba Valley, southern Somalia. Mammalia 52(4):533–540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar