Spatial-temporal variations in dietary consumption of two dominant rodent species (Rhabdomys Dilectus and Lophuromys Acquilus) on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
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Date
2022-08-16
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Understanding the resource partitioning and diet of sympatric species is vital for conser-
vation and management. From April 2020 to March 2021, a study on the dietary consumption of
Rhabdomys dilectus and Lophuromys acquilus was conducted on Mount Kilimanjaro. Rodent trapping
was conducted in agricultural fields, fallow land, and moorland habitats during dry and wet seasons.
Sherman live traps and snap traps were alternately placed in transect lines for three consecutive
nights. We calculated the percentage occurrence and contribution of dietary items, niche breadth,
and niche overlap of the two species across habitats and seasons. Both species consumed all the
examined food items. The most abundant components were vegetative materials and seeds/starch,
followed by invertebrates. R. dilectus and L. acquilus preferably consumed seeds and invertebrates,
respectively, as their primary food source. Niche breadth differed significantly between species
(W = 650, p = 0.002), habitat (Kruskal–Wallis chi-squared = 6.82, df = 2, p = 0.03), and season (W = 700,
p = 0.000). There was a considerable niche overlap in diet (ranging from 0.84 to 0.98) between the
species and was relatively higher in the dry season compared with wet season. Despite the observed
niche overlap, spatial-temporal variations in dietary consumption between the two species can serve
as a mechanism of resource portioning enabling their coexistence.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Coexistence, Lophuromys, Rhabdomys, Diet, Niche breadth, Niche overlap, Spatial, Temporal
Citation
https://doi.org/10.3390/d14080659