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 abundance of food resources. 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.
