Demography, reproductive biology and diet of the bushveld gerbil Tatera leucogaster (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) in the Lake Rukwa valley, south‐western Tanzania

摘要: Seasonal abundance, reproductive biology and feeding ecology of the bushveld gerbil Tatera leucogaster (Peters, 1852) were investigated in small-scale maize field-fallow land mosaics south-western Tanzania. The gerbils collected over a 2-year period using Sherman live Victor hold-fast snap traps permanent 4.5-ha grids. A total 664 individuals captured 13 650 trap nights, giving an overall success rate 4.9%. Trap varied between seasons with without crops field but not habitat types. At this site, breeding activity species is seasonal. All whose stomachs analyzed ate wide range items, indicating omnivory at site; however, seeds most preferred diet category, mean contribution 50.4%, followed by arthropods, 25.7%. Other plant materials became important during very dry periods.