The small mammals of the Maromizaha protected area, central eastern Madagascar: the ability of some Malagasy “forest-dwelling” species to adapt to habitat degradation

Abstract

Abstract All of the native terrestrial small mammals of Madagascar, comprising 59 species (Tenrecidae and Nesomyinae), are endemic and most considered as forest-dependent. However, recent fieldwork in degraded natural forest areas has found that certain species can live in disturbed habitats. Herein based on fieldwork in central eastern Madagascar and employing systematic trapping (live traps and pitfall lines), we test the importance of habitat quality for a range of species in three contiguous moist evergreen forest habitat types: relatively intact, slightly degraded, and secondary. We also employ data from two sites (slightly degraded and secondary) on levels of disturbance, presence of introduced species (Muridae and Soricidae), and soil parameters, to examine possible correlates. The two sites with relatively intact and slightly disturbed forest habitats have similar native small mammal faunas. In contrast, the secondary habitat is depauperate, although with certain tenrecid species that were previously presumed to be “forest-dependent”. Introduced species have not heavily colonized the largely intact or degraded habitats. Our survey data indicate an important level of adaptability of previously presumed “forest-dependent” or “largely forest-dependent” small mammal species to different levels of human disturbance, although at the secondary site, species diversity is notably lower.