Abstract:
We investigated the recruitment and survival of
the multimammate mouse, Mastomys natalensis, within
irrigated rice and fallow field habitats at different time
periods related to rice crop growth stages. Capture-Mark-
Recapture data were collected for M. natalensis each month
from June 2010 to May 2012, and both recruitment and survival
were estimated in relation to land use (irrigated rice
or fallow field) within the agro-ecosystem. Higher recruitment
and survival were observed in rice fields than in fallow
fields suggesting the relationship was compensatory
when there was a higher quality food resource. In terms of
management, farmers in the study area should implement
management strategies in rice fields at both transplanting
and maturity stages of crop growth in order to maintain
recruitment and survival at low levels.
