The role of landscape scale in the distribution of rodents in an Agroecosystem of Argentina

FRASCHINA JIMENA; LEÓN VANINA A; BUSCH MARÍA

Journal of Agricultural Science

Canadian Center of Science and Education

Lugar: Toronto; Año: 2014 vol. 6 p. 22 - 35

1916-9752

The goal of this study was to describe the species distribution among the different habitats of an agroecosystem of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. We sampled poultry farms, human houses, riparian habitat, railway embankments, woodlots, pasture, crop field and their borders. The habitats with highest frequency of captures were poultry farms and crop field borders, but mainly because of M. musculus and A. azarae, respectively. All rodent species used at least six of nine types of the habitats sampled, but in some of them with low frequency. The different habitats differed in their contribution to the abundance of each species. Crop field and pasture borders contributed more than 40% of the abundance of A. azarae, O. rufus, O. flavescens and C. musculinus, while M. musculus was highly concentrated in poultry farms. Woodlots and railway embankments showed a high contribution for O. flavescens abundance. An increase in the area covered by crop fields and human habitats, leading to an increase in the abundance of M. musculus and Calomys spp. and to a decrease in the relative abundance of other species. Considering the role of habitat diversity in rodent diversity, our results suggest that none of the species studied, except M. musculus, which is highly dependent on farms, depends on one habitat and that their abundance is supported by a variety of less perturbed habitats. Taking into account the current changes in land use would generate an increase in M. musculus abundance in detriment of wildlife species which are associated with undisturbed habitats