Land use affects rodent communities in Kalahari savannah rangelands

摘要: Shrub encroachment caused by overgrazing has led to dramatic changes of savannah landscapes and is considered one the most threatening forms rangeland degradation leading habitat fragmentation. Although plant assemblages are becoming better known, however, our understanding how shrub affects rodent communities low. In this study, we investigated relative abundance five species in sixteen southern Kalahari rangelands where cover ranged from low ( 25%). Rodent was determined on three trapping grids (40 × 100 m) for each site. Our results show that increasing affected differently. The hairy-footed gerbil, short-tailed gerbil bushveld declined with cover, whereas highveld striped mouse exhibited hump-shaped relationships cover. Overall, richness decreased a negative impact high above 15% congruent all species. We conclude support hypothesis long-term heavy grazing area wide encroachment, threatens diversity arid environments.