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Praomys delectorum capture-mark-recapture dataset from fieldwork on the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania.

Cite this dataset

Ademola, Olaoluwa John (2022). Praomys delectorum capture-mark-recapture dataset from fieldwork on the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania. [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j6q573ncr

Abstract

Praomys delectorum occurs abundantly in both disturbed and intact forests in the Ukaguru Mountains within the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM), Morogoro, Tanzania. While previous studies have reported that anthropogenic disturbance such as grazing, wood cutting and harvesting has a positive effect on the population density of P. delectorum, the impact of habitat disturbance on its demographic traits is still unknown. We performed a capture-mark-recapture study in both disturbed and intact forest from June 2018 to February 2020 in order to investigate the effects of habitat disturbance on abundance as well as two demographic traits: survival and maturation of P. delectorum in the Ukaguru Mountains. We found no variation in abundance or maturation between intact and disturbed forests, but habitat type did affect survival. However, this effect was sex-dependent since female survival was higher in disturbed forests while male survival remained similar across the two forest types potentially due to differences in predation pressure or food availability between the two habitats. Continuous demographic monitoring of P. delectorum in EAM is necessary given that the increasing human population surrounding the landscape is leading to higher deforestation rates, and expansion of the pine plantation in the forest reserve.