Ramananjato Veronarindra, Rabarijaonina Tanjoniaina H N P, Andriatiavina Tsinjo S A, Randimbiarison Finaritra, Razafindratsima Onja H
Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Valley Life Science Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Faculté Des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, BP 906, 101, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 14;15(1):16760. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00740-w.
We determined the combined impacts of habitat degradation and recurrent cyclones on a community of small mammals in a rainforest landscape in Madagascar. We used capture-release and morphometry data of 609 individuals of shrew tenrecs, rodents, and nocturnal lemurs, and vegetation surveys from 360 plots in four sites with different degradation levels for four field seasons (2021-2023) separated by two cyclone events. Combined impacts of degradation and cyclones significantly affected small mammals' diversity and capture abundance and only the body mass of the lesser tufted-tailed rat and brown mouse lemur. Diversity, capture abundance and body mass decreased immediately after the cyclones, and bounced back 4-5 months later, except in the forest fragment. We also examined the independent effects of habitat degradation using vegetation structure as it had more impacts than cyclones on small mammals. Plant diversity, canopy cover percentage, mean diameter at breast height, and estimated height significantly impacted small mammals' diversity, capture abundance, and body-mass with species-specific variations. Our results suggest that recurrent cyclones may act as an intermediate disturbance factor, while habitat degradation might have permanent impacts on small mammals, emphasizing the importance of long-term monitoring of wild populations to understand their spatiotemporal dynamics and their effective conservation.
我们确定了栖息地退化和反复发生的气旋对马达加斯加雨林景观中小型哺乳动物群落的综合影响。我们使用了609只麝猫猬、啮齿动物和夜间狐猴个体的捕捉-放归和形态测量数据，以及在四个具有不同退化水平的地点的360个样地进行的植被调查，调查跨越四个野外季节（2021 - 2023年），期间有两次气旋事件。退化和气旋的综合影响显著影响了小型哺乳动物的多样性和捕获丰度，以及只有小簇尾鼠和棕色小鼠狐猴的体重。气旋过后，多样性、捕获丰度和体重立即下降，并在4 - 5个月后反弹，但森林片段除外。我们还使用植被结构研究了栖息地退化的独立影响，因为它对小型哺乳动物的影响比气旋更大。植物多样性、树冠覆盖百分比、胸径平均值和估计高度显著影响小型哺乳动物的多样性、捕获丰度和体重，且存在物种特异性差异。我们的结果表明，反复发生的气旋可能作为一种中间干扰因素，而栖息地退化可能对小型哺乳动物产生永久性影响，强调了长期监测野生种群以了解其时空动态及其有效保护的重要性。
