Small mammal diversity in response to land transformation and seasonal variation in South Africa

Abstract

Anthropogenic land transformation is a consequence of human population growth and the associated agricultural, residential, and industrial needs. This study aimed to investigate the effects of anthropogenic activity and human-mediated land transformation on capture/recapture frequencies, species richness, and diversity of native small mammal community assemblages in the Magaliesberg Biosphere, North West province, South Africa. Five anthropogenically transformed land-use types were investigated: an animal rehabilitation and ecotourism center, an agricultural farmstead, a residential farmstead, a mine-adjacent agricultural farmstead, and a protected nature conservancy. We used live traps to sample small mammals during the dry and wet seasons over three consecutive years and compared population numbers and species composition across study sites and seasons. Capture/recapture frequencies differed significantly between sites and seasons, with the highest capture frequencies recorded at the agricultural and residential farmsteads. Species richness and diversity were highest at the residential and mine-adjacent farmsteads, both of which experienced intermediate levels of anthropogenic disturbance throughout the sampling period. The study shows that while natural and protected landscapes with low levels of disturbance are preferred, transformed landscapes can also be managed effectively to benefit native small mammal populations by regulating the frequency and intensity of human-mediated activities.