Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2019, Australia.
Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Environ Monit Assess. 2018 Jul 21;190(8):480. doi: 10.1007/s10661-018-6858-1.
Urbanization is a key driver of global biodiversity loss. Although sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing unprecedented urbanization and urban expansion, very little is known about how this impacts tropical biodiversity. Here, we assessed the effects of urban expansion and urban green space on local small mammal species diversity in Accra, Ghana. We surveyed small mammals in the University of Ghana botanical garden, an urban green area (UGA) and adjoining built-up environment (BE) and compared the results with baseline data (BLD) collected when large areas of the current city still remained mostly undeveloped. The methodology involved live-trapping using Sherman collapsible live-traps. Our data showed higher small mammal abundance and diversity in the UGA than BE. Similarity of species composition was higher between UGA and BLD than between BE and BLD. The small mammal species captured in BE (the rodents Mastomys erythroleucus, Rattus rattus, and Arvicanthis rufinus, and the shrew Crocidura olivieri) are known to easily adapt to human-modified landscapes. Our results suggest that urbanization negatively influenced the abundance, diversity, and community composition of small mammals. Efforts should be directed towards the integration of urban green areas into urban land development planning in developing countries in order to conserve local wildlife and ecological services that enhance the quality of urban life.
城市化是全球生物多样性丧失的一个关键驱动因素。尽管撒哈拉以南非洲国家正在经历前所未有的城市化和城市扩张，但对于这如何影响热带生物多样性却知之甚少。在这里，我们评估了城市扩张和城市绿地对加纳阿克拉当地小型哺乳动物物种多样性的影响。我们在加纳大学植物园（UGA）及其毗邻的建成环境（BE）中对小型哺乳动物进行了调查，并将结果与当前城市大部分地区仍未大规模开发时收集的基线数据（BLD）进行了比较。该方法涉及使用 Sherman 可折叠活捕器进行活捕。我们的数据显示，UGA 中的小型哺乳动物丰度和多样性高于 BE。UGA 与 BLD 之间的物种组成相似性高于 BE 与 BLD 之间的相似性。在 BE 捕获的小型哺乳动物物种（啮齿动物 Mastomys erythroleucus、Rattus rattus 和 Arvicanthis rufinus 以及鼩鼱 Crocidura olivieri）已知容易适应人为修改的景观。我们的结果表明，城市化对小型哺乳动物的丰度、多样性和群落组成产生了负面影响。应努力将城市绿地纳入发展中国家的城市土地开发规划中，以保护当地野生动物和生态服务，从而提高城市生活质量。
